


A New Beginning

by bg3929



Series: Supergirl: Aiko!Verse [1]
Category: Naruto, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Because that's what they deserve, Canon-Typical Violence, Cultural Differences, Dimension Travel, F/F, Family, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Naruto Spoilers?, Sanvers adopt a kid, Shinobi Morals are Not American Morals, Sliding POV, Uchiha OCs - Freeform, a surprising amount of getting into the heads of the Superfriends, aka Aiko gets an education, and Winn has an existential crisis, but I mean she's an Uchiha so that's par for the course, but so is Supergirl's Earth, but we all know what's coming, but would spoil major plot points, expect shenanigans, for Naruto so..., i mean they're years old, if the Uchiha are gonna be hella OP, pop culture references, the Ninja World is weird y'all, then I'll just put one in the universe of the most OP superhero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 14:47:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11106786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bg3929/pseuds/bg3929
Summary: Aiko's main concerns in life were passing the final round of the Chunin Exams and following in her father's footsteps by becoming an officer of the Konoha Military Police. Alex Danvers and Maggie Sawyer were just finding a balance between their amazing new love life and their badass careers. When a girl falls asleep in her bed in the Uchiha Compound of the Village Hidden in the Leaves and wakes up in the street during an alien attack in National City, all three of their lives, as well those of the Superfriends, are sent hurtling in a direction they'd never seen coming. But with darkness looming in two worlds, will this new family be strong enough to come out the victors? Set approximately post 2x11 and fudges with the timeline a bit. Follows canon events, but Aiko will have an impact and cause some events of her own.





	1. With a Bang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Introduction:

 

 

Uchiha Aiko was, frankly, exhausted. The thirteen year old genin had spent the day training for the upcoming third round of the Chuunin Exams. Though she was slight and small for her age, the kunoichi more than made up for that in speed and raw jutsu talent. As an Uchiha, she naturally had an affinity for fire-based ninjutsu. However, her true power lay in that fact the her  _ second  _ elemental affinity was wind. This allowed her to easily combine the two natures and power up her fire-based attacks to devastating effect. Combine  _ that _ with her skill with her specialized tantō, and Aiko made for a fearsome opponent indeed.

 

* * *

 

    The sun was setting over the village of Konoha when the teenager finally decided to call it quits and head home for the day. Gathering up her equipment and the pile of jutsu scrolls borrowed from her elder brothers, the kunoichi slung her worn messenger bag over one shoulder and started making her way back to the Uchiha District.

 

    Aiko was the youngest of three siblings and the only girl. Her eldest brother Ken was a 17-year-old Jounin with aspirations of becoming a Jounin-sensei to a team of Genin during the next round of graduations. With his even temperament and willingness to help anyone out with training when they needed it, the whole family were great supporters of his dream. The middle child, Kisuke, on the other hand, had a driving ambition to join the ranks of the Anbu Black Ops. The 15-year-old Chuunin was constantly training to improve himself and already in the process of applying for the Jounin exam. Much to his delight, he had already caught the eye of some important people within the village. Aiko herself dreamed of following in their father's footsteps and becoming a member of the Konoha Military Police Force. 

 

     Uchiha Kohaku was Aiko's hero. From her precious memories of him, she knew her father to be unfailingly kind and unflinchingly steadfast in his dedication to the village. He'd always made an effort to tuck in his children at night and tell them stories of their Grandpa Kagami and his adventures with the Lord Second Hokage during the First Shinobi World War. He instilled in them the Will of Fire, and died as he lived, defending fleeing civilians during the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha.

 

  One of the most important memories Aiko held of her father occurred on the day of the celebration for Ken's awakened Sharingan. She had been 5 at the time, and, despite her pride in her brother, bored out of her mind at the stuffy and tedious Clan event. So, when she'd seen her father take her brother by the arm and discretely lead him into the courtyard, she took her chance at escape. Carefully concealing herself in the shadows of the overhang of the porch (as well as one could from two Uchiha shinobi), she had listened as her father told her brother about the Curse of Hatred and the Will of Fire underneath the light of the full moon.

 

"Promise me Ken" he urged, grasping his eldest child by the shoulders and shaking him slightly "that you will use this power handed down to you by our ancestors to protect the village they built, and everyone in it. I need you to swear upon the Clan that you will only use those eyes in defense of the innocent and those precious to you, rather than with vengeance and hatred. Do you understand? Do you swear it?"

 

The solemn 9-year-old had nodded then, his eyes flashing red for a moment with the determination to carry out his father's will. "I swear it, father."

 

The older man smiled, then, a rarity within the compound walls, and ruffled his son's messy hair affectionately. "Good man." he said, brushing the dark locks away from the boy's gleaming hitai-ate and directing him inside with a pat on the shoulder. Ken had complied and returned to his party, but the elder Uchiha paused on the porch, turning his gaze into the shadows there.

 

"And you, Aiko? Do you understand? Will you make the same promise?" She, too, had nodded, puffing out her still-chubby cheeks and placing her hands on her hips as she stared proudly at her father. "I promise. One day I'm gonna be a p'lice officer just like daddy and I'm gonna protect everyone, 'specially the civilians 'cuz they can't protect alone and need our help."

 

He smiled again and knelt down to place a soft kiss upon his daughter's forehead. "Good. When you do, I'll be the proudest Papa in the whole wide world."

 

He stood, and the pair returned to the gathering hand-in-hand, a toothy, beaming smile never leaving Aiko's small face for the rest of the night.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


So caught up in the past, Aiko had acted on autopilot, feet following the familiar path to the house she'd lived in her entire life without any input from her conscious mind.

 

"Mama, I'm home!" she called, exhausted enough even to forget to take off her shoes as she made her way through the doorway of her home.

 

Uchiha Hanako smiled from her seat at the kitchen table. Sheets of paper filled its entire surface, they too filled to the brim with writing. Aiko smiled fondly. Her mother had been complaining about the audit of the Clan's accounts for weeks. 

 

As a retired kunoichi and a well-respected member of the Clan, she had been chosen to go through all of the accounts and report them back to the Hokage. Aiko had heard the outrage over the command, and several unhappy relatives had shown up at their door at night arguing with her mother about handing over the Clan’s paperwork and personal details for examination by the village leaders, calling it yet another slight of the Village against the Uchiha. Hanako had coolly shut them down every time, and everybody feared her enough to fall in line. People knew not to mess with Konoha's Angel of Death. 

 

She'd pointedly reminded her dissatisfied guests that theirs was not the only Clan being audited. A quip about how her good friend Clan Head Inuzuka Tsume was constantly sending ninken-in-training over as messengers with notes begging for the Uchiha's expertise in completing the audit of her own Clan was usually enough to drive them off, though with mutterances of "troublesome women" and "fraternizing with the enemy" heard frequently as they cut hasty retreats. A greatly amused Hanako kept a running tally of men she'd run off solely by the invocation of Tsume's name, and the two former squadmates were planning on having a wild night out once the number reached triple digits.

 

"Dinner should be ready in about an hour, and your brothers should be home around then." Hanako paused in her distracted spiel, eyes searching her daughter up and down when the usually outspoken girl's only response was a grunt. A soft feeling of pride warmed her as she took in the bruised and grass-stained knees of her youngest child. Aiko had always had to work the hardest of Hanako's three children, forever striving to keep up with her brothers. She also had the biggest heart, something she'd inherited from her late father, as well as most of her looks. It was for this reason that Hanako worried for Aiko the most. The girl was brave and steadfast to a fault, and the older woman knew that she would someday follow her father's footsteps in risking her life every day to protect others. 

 

The elder Uchiha stood suddenly, using her thumb to remove a smudge of dirt from her daughter's cheek. "I'm proud of you. With all of the work you are doing, you're sure to make Chuunin." Aiko seemed to preen, but the action was interrupted by an abrupt yawn. Hanako smiled softly and swept the loose part of Aiko's bangs behind her ear. "You're exhausted. Go take a nap and I'll wake you in time to eat, ok? You need all the food and rest you can get if you want that training to actually mean something." 

 

Aiko puffed up her cheeks and shook her hair free, but, on her way to her bedroom, she shot her mother a grateful look when she thought she wasn't looking. (She was, and the retired kunoichi couldn't help but see herself in the action and smile as she imagined the beautiful woman her stubborn little girl would one day grow up to be.) The genin made it to her room and passed out on her bed, fully on top of her blankets and fully dressed in her training gear. She hadn't even taken her messenger bag off of her shoulder when she was dragged down into the eager abyss of sleep.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


   Aiko woke up to screaming. On her feet with Sharingan eyes blazing in an instant, she took in the bizarre scene around her. Cracks and craters dotted the strange black ground she stood on as civilians raced about in terror every-which-way, forming a fear-fueled mob of chaos. The acrid smell of smoke was heavy in the air from where several shopfronts had been torn asunder by some kind of explosion. An earthshaking roar sounded from behind her, momentarily drowning out the panicked cries of the civilians, and Aiko was fast enough in her turning to see a strange lizardlike creature lift a woman by the throat as a small child watched in terror by it's clawed feet. That's all it took to spring the kunoichi into action, heart burning with the promise she made to her father all those years ago. 

  
  


     Movements so fast she's sure no non-shinobi could ever dream of tracking her, tantō grasped firmly in hand and buzzing with a thin layer of wind chakra, Aiko strikes. An instant later she returned to civilian visibility and landed lightly, arm extended behind her. Almost a full five seconds passed before the creature's grip on its prey slackened and its head slid from its body, landing with a dull thud upon the broken earth beneath its feet. Aiko looked over her shoulder and saw the woman scramble back, grab her wide-eyed daughter by the arm and tug her into a desperate embrace. Eyes of savior and intended victim met for a split second eternity before the woman hoisted her trembling daughter into her arms and sprinted off into the burning night in search of safety. 

  
  


       Aiko scanned her surroundings again, Sharingan taking in every detail of the scene. Several more of the creatures were raiding what appeared to be a grocery shop, though they were selling brands and products the likes of which Aiko had never seen, and unfamiliar metal contraptions lay in smashed heaps all along the strange dark street. Buildings towered around her, reaching heights far above those of her home. Was she in Ame? Or perhaps Kumo? But no, it couldn't be. There wasn't a single shinobi in sight, an impossibility in a Hidden Village during a crisis such as this. In the end, it didn't matter. Innocent civilians were in danger, and Aiko was in the position to act. There was only one possible course of action.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


All in all, Aiko felt her self-imposed mission had been going rather well. She'd managed to take out three more of the hostiles, though not before one had cornered her between some haphazard shelving and scored a glancing hit along her side with it's wickedly-sharp claws. The blow did little in the way of actual damage, but it did slice several large tears in Aiko's shirt. She made her foe regret it's minor success when she'd separated the offending appendage from its body -as well as its tail for good measure. 

 

    Out of the corner of her Sharingan-enhanced eye Aiko caught some movement, and suddenly she was leaping through the air and colliding into the side of one of the beasts shoulder first, disrupting it's act of hurling one of the large metal machines lining the streets at a pair of young men huddling behind the half-broken wall of the building beside the burglarized grocery shop. The maneuver did its job, but by the ache in her awkwardly angled shoulder Aiko knew she'd be feeling that hit in the morning. The beast dropped the projectile on impact, rolled to its feet, and hissed, beady yellow slitted eyes glaring in the direction of the being that had foiled its attack. Aiko glared right back, jet black tomoe spinning lazily against blood red. 

  
  


     The creature seemed to deflate a bit, and its head swung in wide, searching arcs as it took in the scene around it. With a bellowed cry, it began to retreat, its allies following, and they all piled into the largest of the metal contraptions Aiko had yet seen, the boxed-in back compartment filled with goods like a merchant heading to market. But those beings were not merchants, and those certainly were  _ not _ their goods. They were nothing but violent, lowly thieves preying on the innocent for quick cash. As the contraption roared to life like some kind of wild beast, Aiko knew it was time for her trump card.

  
  


     When she'd awoken in the middle of this chaos, Aiko had already been down to well less than half of her chakra reserves thanks to her many hours of exhaustive training for the upcoming Exams. The stunt she’d pulled in the street, as well as the use of her Sharingan in her tired state had depleted her already limited chakra pool to near nothing. She knew that her next attack would likely leave her depleted and dangerously close to chakra exhaustion, but it was a risk she had to take. Aiko could not allow the thieves to escape, not after she’d seen the violence they’d rained down on defenseless civilians. Sheathing her tantō in it's holster behind her right shoulder, Aiko concentrated the necessary amount of chakra from her near-depleted supply into her slightly shaking hands. With a determined setting of her jaw she took a sturdy stance and began the hand signs for the new combination jutsu she had been working on relentlessly since the end of the survival portion of the Chuunin Exam.

 

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" she called, willing her knees not to tremble with the strain as a single clone poofed into existence beside her. Then, in tandem, the two began performing the hand signs for two separate jutsu.

 

"Fire Style: Fireball Justu!" yelled the original, her Uchiha pride demanding no less.

 

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" came the clone's call moments later, the concentrated gale-force winds combining with the flying fireball and become an absolute writhing conflagration more than equal in size to its target. 

  
  


     The attack hit the giant cart-like contraption in a powerful broadsiding blow as it made to turn down onto another street and make its escape. There was a great burst of light and flame, and suddenly the transport was rolling, ejecting stolen goods and their thieves as it went. Several of them lay prone on the dark ground, semiconscious at best, while others writhed and rolled in an attempt to put out the fires that licked at their dark green scales. 

  
  


   Aiko smirked and fell to one knee as her clone dissipated, eyes slipping back to their usual grey-black hue. Breathing heavily, she realized in futile panic that a woozy feeling was rushing over her before her vision went dark and she collapsed onto the cold, hard street.

  
  
  


 


	2. Eyes Wide Open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to take off, and some of the Supergirl gang is finally introduced. I had to change the rating after re-reading this chapter because Aiko's thoughts get a bit... dark. But honestly, it's understandable given the circumstances. Enjoy the ride and don't hesitate to comment! :)

II.

  
  
  


        Aiko jolted awake to the sight of a man looming over her with a syringe. Panicking, she flashed her Sharingan in an attempt to knock him out with a genjutsu, but to her horror, the amount of chakra in his body was so negligible that he simply stumbled. Seizing that small opportunity to make her move, Aiko leapt out of the strange hospital bed and towards the room's exit only to fall to her hands and knees before she could take a single step, body still heavy and unresponsive with chakra exhaustion. Diving desperately along the floor, she managed to make her way over to a lamp, which she used to haul herself to her feet. She gripped it tightly in her hands, using it to support her weight, but also ready to turn it into a makeshift weapon if necessary. Aiko mentally cursed as the felt her muscles begin to shake in protest of her movement and the supporting of her body weight, despite how little of it there was. The kunoichi knew she was in no shape for a fight.

 

    Meanwhile, her assailant's eyes had gone wide, and he was standing frozen by the bed with his limbs extended toward Aiko's previous location and his syringe dropped to the floor. 

  
  


"What the hell is going on here, Agent Smith?" Two heads flashed to the door where a commanding woman with short hair and dressed in all black stood, hands on her hips and eyebrow raised at the scientist.

  
  


"Agent Danvers! I was just trying to take some blood from the subject to see if we could find the cause of her unconsciousness!"

 

Agent Danvers leaned forward, voice dropping an octave like a hunter going in for the kill. "Under whose orders?"

 

"I-"

 

"Get out."

 

The scientist scurried out of there like he was being chased by the hounds of hell. Then, the intimidating agent turned her gaze on Aiko. The kunoichi was surprised to see it soften.

  
  


"We're not going to hurt you. My name is Alex. Will you tell me yours?"

  
  


Aiko barred her teeth in a sharp, defiant grin. "I'm an Uchiha being held captive in a laboratory. I know what's going to happen. Don't lie to me." 

  
  


A crinkle formed between auburn brows. "Uchiha? I've not heard of that species before. Will you tell me where you're from? We might be able to help you better if you let us know more about you." The woman was moving closer, arms extended in a universal gesture of peace.

  
  


"Species? Are we in the Mist, then? Do you see people with bloodlines as something less than human?" Aiko shifted her hand to wrap around the lamp's cord. She was prepared to rip it out and use it as a more ranged weapon in an instant. Or, worst case scenario, use it to destroy her eyes and end her own life. At least, that's what she told herself in an attempt to calm her shaking limbs.

  
  


"You're a human? Were you abducted? Did somebody hurt you, do something to you?"

  
  


      Aiko resisted the urge to scream out in frustration at the woman's gross hypocrisy. Clearly whatever group she was part of had done the abducting. But Aiko kept silent: the genin needed all the energy she could get just to stay on her feet. 

  
  


      Aiko's vision clouded black for a moment, but she wrenched herself forcibly back into consciousness. The lapse may have lasted only a moment, but by the time she returned to her senses it was too late to make a break for the door. The woman was closer now, and directly cutting off any possible escape routes. Out of options, Aiko's body tensed in anticipation of any potentially violent moves directed her way. 

  
  


"You don't get to talk to me like that." she replied angrily, voice tight and ripping past her lips involuntarily as the kunoichi's fight-or-flight response kicked into overdrive. Being a Konoha shinobi and an Uchiha, of course her body was primed for the former. Feeling cornered by the woman's approach, Aiko flashed her Sharingan again to test for her chakra levels or genjutsu, but there was nothing. Yet even that small bit of chakra expenditure was too much, and the teen's vision blurred as her knees finally gave out from under her. She and the lamp went crashing to the ground.

  
  


     The agent was on her in an instant, checking to see if she was alright, but Aiko was faster. She grabbed a large shard of the now-broken lightbulb and held it in a shaking hand about an inch from her eyes. "I won't let you take them." she all but whined, trembling in her voice and body belying her conviction. Aiko swore she saw an expression of pain ghost its way across her captor's face, but it was hidden behind a stony mask before she could be sure.

  
  


"I'm sorry." breathed the woman, and Aiko felt a pinprick at the base of her neck. Damn. She'd missed the agent pulling out a syringe of her own while her vision had been greying out.

 

And just like that the world once again went black.

  
  
  


 

* * *

  
  
  


     When Aiko woke up for the third time that day, she was restrained to a bed by leather cuffs on her wrists and ankles.

  
  


"Sir, all testing has concluded that the individual is a human female between the ages of 11-14. Other than some gene markers we've never seen, which appear to be natural, there's no obvious signs of any physical or mental alterations."

  
  


There was a deep sigh, and then "Thank you, Agent White. You may leave." Retreating footsteps echoed in what sounded like a large room, and the shifting of weight to Aiko's right indicated a large individual in a chair was sitting  at her bedside. Steeling herself, Aiko opened her eyes.

  
  


"So. You're awake. Care to tell me your name?" The man was very tall with skin so dark that he would not have looked out of place in Kumo. If he hadn't been wearing all black and lacking a hitai-ate, she would have assumed him one of their shinobi. As it stood, she wasn't sure what to make with all of these not-quite-Kumo context clues. However, anything associated with the notorious bloodline thieves painted a bleak picture for the restrained and scrutinized teen. The sentry-like man beside Aiko shifted to loom over the captured kunoichi, his eyes hard but probing. 

 

"I'm not going to ask nicely again."

 

Aiko schooled her face into a carefully-blank mask and recalled the lessons on protocol for getting taken as a living prisoner.

 

"I am Uchiha Aiko, Genin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Ninja Registration Number 012376." she recited, eyes carefully trained on a spot on the surprisingly distant ceiling.

 

The man sighed again deeply and shifted back into his chair. "Care to tell me why you're here, Uchiha?" he asked, a cynical edge to his tone.

 

"I'm here because you captured me." she bit out, struggling not to shatter her indifferent mask by glaring at the man.

 

"And those beings you killed?"

 

Aiko felt an icy claw of fear scrape along the inside of her gut. Had the creatures not been acting alone? Had she been taken by their allies? Steeling herself again, Aiko jutted her chin forward in an act designed to project confidence. "They were attacking innocent civilians."

 

"And you're not a civilian yourself?" came the man's carefully measured reply, eyes glancing up and down her small form. Aiko was mildly affronted.

 

"I told you I'm an Uchiha and a genin. You took my headband. You know I'm a shinobi."

 

The man pressed his lips together for a moment before speaking. "How old are you?"

 

"Why does it matter?"

 

The man took a deep breath, seemingly to keep his composure. "We need to know for legal and medical reasons. Minors have different procedures than adults."

 

Aiko clenched her jaw. "I am a shinobi. I have been recognized as a legal adult within the village since the day I received my headband. I won't accept special treatment to betray my Village and Clan."

 

"And you won't have to. Just tell us about you so we know who to contact and get this situation under control."

 

Aiko frowned. "Situation? Am I being used as a hostage?" The teen's heart was suddenly hammering in her chest, a combination of her fear, adrenaline, and confusion. It was all she could do to sound put together when she was, in actuality, in a state of mental panic. Her mind raced to plan escape routes and figure out what exactly was going on.

  
  


The man seemed to deflate and soften when he registered the girl's words and, somehow, her emotions. "No, you just seem very lost, and we'd like to do our best to get you home."

  
  


Aiko forced herself to maintain a level stare. "I told you. I'm a member of the Uchiha Clan from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. If you contact my Village, I'm sure they'll send a team to escort me home."

  
  


"Of course, but we need more than that. It will probably be difficult for us to contact a 'Hidden Village', don't you think?" His tone was mildly sarcastic, and Aiko could do nothing for a moment but stare at him in utter disbelief, casting aside all aspirations of an unperturbed façade.

 

"We're the largest Hidden Village in the world and are located in one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations."

  
  


"Shinobi Nations?"

  
  


Aiko felt a sinking feeling in her gut once more. This day was just getting worse and worse. "What country are we in?" she asked, feeling as if the world was slowly collapsing in on her. The man peered down at Aiko with a look she couldn't decode.

  
  


"The United States of America."

  
  


And there it was. Hope was beginning to leave Aiko's heart in a vicious flood. "I haven't heard of it." 

  
  


The man looked grim. "Danvers, a map, please." Oh. In came the brunette woman from the last time Aiko had woken up. The one responsible for her most recent bout of unconsciousness. But the kunoichi couldn't really bring herself to care, as she was busy ravenously devouring the proffered map with her eyes in a desperate attempt to locate some familiar landmark.

 

"This is wrong." The words tumbled from a numb Aiko's mouth without her consent. The two questioners remained silent, watching the restrained girl crane her neck to try and get a better look at the piece of paper that held the seemingly baffling silhouette of the nations and oceans of the planet Earth.

  
  


Suddenly, Aiko felt very small indeed. "Can I- is there- do you have a pencil?" 

  
  


The man sent the teen a flat look, its meaning clear. After what she had pulled with the shard of glass, he was not taking any risks by handing his self-destructive captive another sharp implement.

  
  


"Please. I just- I just want to draw my map." A silent exchange passed between Aiko's apparent (though less definite by the minute) captors before Alex scurried off to fulfill the young girl's request. The Director, however, remained adamant in his vigil. When Alex returned, he hunched over as to be in Aiko's full view and to look her in the eyes (further damning proof, to Aiko, of being very far from home), hands resting on the clasp of her restraints.

 

"I'm putting some trust in you Uchiha, but the second I think that you're about to harm yourself or someone else, you're through. Understand?"

 

Aiko nodded, then sighed in relief and flexed her wrists as they were liberated from their snug bindings. A clipboard and pencil were gently placed in her hands, and she closed her eyes for a moment before setting off to work. She had the whole map memorized, of course. It was one of the first things any Uchiha did once they activated their Sharingan, as knowledge of geography and terrain could be vital on missions. By the time she was finished and handed over her work, Aiko's panic had ebbed into a burning ember of determination to get home no matter what.

  
  


The pair of Agents had looked over the map with interested eyes, but shared a heavy glance when they were through.

  
  


"There's nothing I recognize off the top of my head, sir, but I can have Winn run it through a database of known planetary geography and see if we get any hits." That was Alex, studiously avoiding the teen in the bed and addressing her boss in a clipped but hopeful tone.

  
  


"What does that mean for me?" questioned Aiko, voice tight with the strain of preventing it from shaking.

  
  


"The DEO has plenty of-"

  
  


"J'onn." interrupted Alex "She can stay at my place."

  
  


"Agent Danvers, I understand this must be difficult-"

 

"No." stated Alex coolly "You don't. You didn't see her earlier when she thought we had taken her. She was going to  _ gouge her own eyes out _ and  _ kill herself _ ."

 

Aiko bristled. "I'm still here, you know. No need to talk about me behind my back." The kunoichi glared grumpily at the agents, and J'onn was giving her yet another odd look, this one tinged with sorrow.

 

"I'll allow it-" 

 

Alex's shoulders twitched downward in relief at her mentor's words.

 

"-if our young friend answers a few questions."

 

Aiko nodded eagerly, wishing desperately to be free from these restraints and this strange place. "I can abide by those terms, but I reserve the right to withhold anything I feel would be treason." The man's lips thinned, but he agreed.

 

"How old are you?"

 

Aiko nearly rolled her eyes. That again. "13."

  
  


"What country are you from?"

  
  


"The Land of Fire." That got a microexpression of disbelief, but Aiko let it go.

  
  


"Why did you try to hurt and kill yourself?"

  
  


Aiko swallowed. "I am an Uchiha. Bloodline theft is not uncommon, especially against those with dojutsu. I had no desire to have my eyes stolen and used against my home by an enemy...or experience whatever else would happen to me afterwards."

  
  


"You thought Agent Smith was trying to steal your eyes?" burst out Alex, mild horror tinging her voice. Aiko nodded, feeling suddenly small. "Does it have something to do with your eyes turning red?" the Agent continued.

  
  


"Yes. I thought you were trying to steal them for yourselves. My Clan is well known across the land for our visual prowess known as the Sharingan." The dour man opened his mouth to continue this line of questioning when Aiko shut him down. "No, I do not feel comfortable discussing it."

  
  


J'onn sighed and moved on. "Do you know why you fell unconscious earlier tonight at the lab and at the scene of the robbery?"

 

"Chakra exhaustion." she replied as one would when saying the word 'duh'.

 

"Chakra?" piped Alex, eyes glinting with curiosity.

 

"The- the energy found in all living things? The manifestation of the physical and spiritual energy within a person?" 

 

"Is that what fuels your powers?"

  
  


      Aiko's body-language response was somewhere between a nod and a shrug. "All living beings have trace amounts, but only shinobi train to use chakra for jutsu. Students increase their natural chakra pools and strengthen their chakra pathways through exercises, but it does not reach it's full potential until after the process of physical and mental maturity has concluded. For example:...Hold on." She scrunched her eyebrows together and activated her Sharingan for a moment. "Agent Danvers doesn't have much chakra at all, in fact it's nearly invisible, so as an adult she may be trained in civilian-style combat but could not learn to perform jutsu or chakra techniques of any kind. The Director, however..." Aiko paused, eyeing the odd yet tantalizingly, unquantifiably recognizable reading coming from the man beside her. He had no organized chakra system per se, but he did have a significant amount of the energy buzzing about his body. "You have a fair amount, more than enough to be shinobi." Aiko frowned as she recognized one of the pieces of the puzzle her Sharingan had revealed. "It's odd though. Are you using a transformation jutsu?" She paused again, blinking hard and feeling more than a bit lightheaded as she deactivated her bloodline.

 

The man looked at her, startled. "Transformation jutsu?"

 

Aiko nodded absently and fired off an answer straight from an Academy textbook, conscious mind still mulling over the nagging familiarity of his chakra signature. "Yes, the E-ranked ninjutsu used to change the user's physical appearance... " Suddenly, it clicked in Aiko's mind where she knew the man's particular type of frustratingly familiar yet uncommon and distinct chakra essence from, as it bore a fair resemblance to that of a good friend she'd gone to the Academy with. "Oh! Have you heard of the Yamanaka Clan? Your chakra has a similar quality to theirs."

The man shook his head, but Aiko noticed that some tension had returned to his form.

 

"Enough." he ordered, clearly trying to change the subject and further rousing the teen's suspicions "Agent Danvers, retrieve her clothes and she's all yours." J'onn's tone was terse, and the kunoichi noticed that he had pointedly avoided answering her questions.

 


	3. Enter Maggie Sawyer; Cultures Clash in National City!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is one scene of mostly dialogue and exposition, but I like the way it gets into characters' heads and how we see their differing ideas and opinions. Maggie makes her first appearance and Sanvers learn some things about Alex's new houseguest.
> 
> P.S. sorry for the delay, my computer was being a butt

 

3.

  
  


        It was a time later that Aiko found herself sitting on the couch in Alex's apartment. She had been glad to be free of her leg restraints, and even gladder when she'd been given back her own clothing, regardless of its current state of disrepair. However, she was not pleased when the Agents had refused to return her ninja gear, especially her tantō. She supposed she should cut her losses, as she had successfully argued the return of her hitai-ate. The sense of comfort and safety she had regained upon donning it had surprised even her. After a stern lecture and the promise of swift incarceration upon misbehavior, a silent and still weakened Aiko had followed Agent Danvers, or Alex as the woman insisted, to the strange building's exit, sharp black eyes working all the while to analyze this unfamiliar place she'd appeared in. 

  
  


        The ride to Alex's abode was rather uncomfortable for the kunoichi, as it consisted of clinging to the agent's back whilst straddling a two-wheeled metal contraption and weaving through others of the four-wheeled variety along the strange black streets of the bright, enormous, and startlingly polluted city. (Matters weren't helped by the fact that Aiko knew she could have made the uncomfortable trip just as easily and just as quickly on foot.) The young woman had refused to follow Alex into the building until she had extracted a promise from the agent that she would never have to ride on a ‘motorcycle’ again. Sufficed to say, Alex had vowed to check out a DEO SUV for future Aiko transport.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


       At present, Alex was absentmindedly faffing about the kitchen accomplishing absolutely nothing, and, in turn, Aiko was examining the flat screen of what appeared to be a t.v. the likes of which she'd never seen. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and both women were on their guard within a heartbeat. Alex drew a weapon of some kind and made her way to the door, immediately relaxing the second she registered the visage of her visitor through the peephole. She holstered the weapon and unlocked the door with a gentle smile.

  
  


"Hey babe, you didn't call after work so I decided to drop by with dinner. I figured you-" a short brunette (though taller than Aiko) had bustled through the door, arms laden with bags that, judging by their aroma, contained some sort of takeout. She'd sent a beaming, dimple-filled smile at Alex the second she'd seen the taller woman's face, but stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of Aiko. 

  
  


"Something you wanna tell me Danvers?" she quipped, cocking an eyebrow.

  
  
  


"She's uh- a person of interest in a DEO case. J'onn wanted to keep her in containment, but..."

  
  
  


"That is a child, Alex." stated Maggie, voice laced with suspicion and mild disappointment.

  
  
  


"She singlehandedly took out six Gordanians during an armed robbery." supplied Alex defensively, feeling protective of her boss and not wanting her girlfriend to condemn him.

  
  
  


Maggie's eyes widened in shock. "The Washington Street Bodega case?"

  
  
  


Alex's response was to purse her lips into a thin line and refuse to meet her girlfriend's eyes.

  
  
  


"Please tell me she was a Good Samaritan and not an alien killer." begged Maggie, eyes flitting over to the young woman sitting on the couch for less than a second.

  
  
  


Alex sighed and fixed her girlfriend with a searching look. "How much do you know?" 

  
  
  


Now Maggie was starting to get concerned. "Security tapes were a bust, but witnesses say there was an explosion, and a figure in dark clothing appeared after the smoke had cleared and started fighting off the robbers."

  
  


"And?" urged Alex, fully slipping back into her DEO-Agent mentality.

  
  


Maggie swallowed again. "One woman said she was saved when the alien that was strangling her had its head chopped clean off by the figure with a sword. Blood on the scene indicates at least five dead. I assume they're at the DEO?"

  
  


"I can neither confirm nor deny that." quipped Alex, desperately trying to lighten the rapidly darkening mood. Maggie's dimples made an appearance, albeit a shortlived one. Despite what Alex was trying to do, the situation was serious. Maggie doubted she would rest before drawing some answers from the mystery girl her girlfriend was hosting, and the conversation wasn't likely to be a pleasant one, judging by Alex's level of evasiveness already. 

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


       They'd come a long way since that first crime scene, but relations between the DEO and NCPD were usually terse at best. It seemed that the DEO was playing this one close to their chest: not that Maggie blamed them, what with an alien-killing vigilante showing up out of nowhere and all. But the fact that said vigilante was a child was adding an extra element to the scene that had yet to be tested in the time National City had been a hotbed of alien activity. 

  
  
  


      There were significant discrepancies between the way a black ops organization and the local police department handled working with minors and immigrants alike. Human rights were the name of the game, but what an individual's rights were in certain circumstances got increasingly grey when it came to illegal visitors and non-humans. When such a surprise and powerful individual was a child? A person who could not make legal decisions for themselves or sign binding contracts without a guardian? Who would more than likely be deemed a ward of the state? A situation like this was uncharted waters for the new amnesty laws, and Maggie had a feeling it was going to be up to her and Alex to keep the girl from getting lost between bureaucratic red tape, curious scientists, protesters with a cause, and government headhunters looking to create the perfect soldiers.

  
  
  


"How are they?" interjected Aiko suddenly, voice quiet but demanding. During the impromptu law enforcement briefing and the following moments of deep contemplation, the teen had stayed uncomfortably silent, eyes vacant and nimble fingers toying nervously with the seam of one of the throw pillows she had scooped into her lap. Now, though, her attention was wholly on Maggie, who had been caught on her back foot by the young woman’s outburst. There was a kind of desperation in the teen's eyes that slightly unnerved the detective.

  
  
  


"Who?" responded Maggie apprehensively, taking a single step toward the strange and potentially powerful kid currently in her girlfriend's apartment.

  
  
  


"The woman and her daughter. Are they ok? Did they make it to safety?"

  
  
  


Maggie relaxed a little at the girl's concern. "Yeah. She had nothing but gratitude for her hero."

  
  
  


Aiko blinked. "I'm no hero. I just couldn't let those things keep hurting the innocent civilians."

  
  
  


       Maggie closed her eyes and sighed at the primary source conformation of her creeping suspicion. She was standing in her secret-agent girlfriend's apartment with a kid, barely even a teenager by her estimation, who had appeared out of nowhere and fought off alien robbers by beheading them with a sword. Supergirl's destructive brand of heroism was one thing, but  _ this _ level of violence in a rescue, with no signs of any kind of distress by the one who had committed them? This was shaping up to be an NCPD nightmare. 

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


       Maggie had become a cop to help protect people. To give the disadvantaged and downtrodden protection, to be an advocate for them with the power to actually make a difference. But lately all it ever felt like she was doing was fighting a two pronged war against evil aliens and the violent xenophobes they inspired to take drastic action. The Bodega case had already lit a fire of fear and inspiration with it's swift brutality in dealing out vigilante justice to the pilfering Gordanians. More than one militant group had lauded the mysterious figure for eviscerating those 'god damn lizard men', and Maggie had picked up some fearful chatter around the alien bar earlier about whether this new player in the National City alien conflict would come after more offworlders, criminal or no. Learning that said player was a scrawny kid with doe-eyes and the altruistic conviction of protecting the innocent was a relief, at least. Yet the level of violence she had used still gave Maggie pause. It was beyond that of even the grittiest of superheroes. 

  
  
  


      Objectively, the kid was a potential threat. So, reluctantly, the detective decided to do her job and question the girl to determine just how big of one, albeit much more gently than Maggie usually did when interrogating a suspect. She was still just a kid, after all. She had to have learned when and how to act from somewhere. The people behind the strings were really to blame here. She really hoped those people weren't Cadmus or the like. Maggie seriously wasn't in the mood for dealing with this kid if she was triggered as a sleeper agent or something. Inside her head, the detective couldn’t help but release a cynical chuckle. What a thought. Little Maggie could never have dreamed up this kind of thing being a plausible situation she could face when she decided to become a police officer. God, what was her world coming to? ‘Ugh. Snap out of it Sawyer. Existential crisis later, Police work now.’

  
  
  


"So you're the one that came out of the explosion then?" lead Maggie, quirking an eyebrow. Her body language had completely shifted, no longer that of someone coming home after a long day at work for a romantic evening with their lover, but back into the stance of a seasoned detective. Leather-clad arms crossed over her chest, and even the way she shifted her weight to one side seemed to project authority.

  
  
  


     The change did not go unnoticed by the other two women in the room, and suddenly the young ninja was considering the previously dismissed visitor as someone who could actually be something of a threat. Keeping her current chakra exhaustion and outnumbered state in mind, Aiko figured she ought to answer the questions posed to her by the intimidating woman. Aiko had nothing to hide about her actions in the fight against the lizard-things, and, worst come to worst, if something came up that she didn’t want to talk about she could always cite her earlier deal with Alex’s boss and use the older woman as a buffer between herself and her inquisitorial guest. 

  
  
  


      But, being willing to answer a few questions and actually having the answers to said questions were two entirely different things. Aiko's brows furrowed as she struggled to follow Maggie’s implied order and recall any explosion that occurred during the battle in the street earlier that day, but came up empty. There weren’t any explosions, at least none that she could remember. In her mind, she’d gone to sleep on her bed and woken up on the ground, a violent robbery already in full swing around her. The space between was simply blank. ‘No, wait, there was a-‘ The teenager’s train of thought was derailed by the sudden explosion of a buzzing sensation along her scalp, and her quizzical expression dropped without warning to a dazed, absent stare. "I suppose... the last thing I remember was taking a nap at home after training. The next thing I know I'm waking up in the middle of the road during the attack."

  
  
  


"Nothing else?" urged Maggie gently, fingers twitching against her upper arm as she fought the instinct to comfort the young woman. Despite her personal feelings, she wasn't about to invade the kid's space without express permission. Plus, this was supposed to be an interrogation, despite being watered down. Comforting the kid now would give her the wrong idea and completely undo all of Maggie’s work so far.

  
  
  


     Again, at the detective's insistence, the kunoichi tried to recall what had happened in the time between laying down on her bed and waking up in the street. "There was... I.... The color orange, maybe? Augh!" Aiko doubled over with a whimper as a sudden burning pain seared against her skull. 

  
  
  


       ‘Oh hell.’ thought Maggie. ‘Screw interrogation.’ The kid was in actual physical pain from trying to cooperate with the strange people questioning her. The two adults were by her side in an instant, concern written on both their faces.

  
  
  


"It's ok sweetie, you don't have to push yourself." offered Maggie kindly. Asking questions was one thing, but Maggie Sawyer would be damned before consciously causing someone pain just to get answers. Especially if that someone was a child.

  
  
  


     Unaware of this, Aiko gritted her teeth, mentally berating herself for showing weakness. She was a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf stranded in unfamiliar territory. She shouldn't be whining like a baby from a little headache. What if these women were really enemies waiting until she was vulnerable to strike?

  
  
  


       Wanting distance from the heavy mood that had settled over her apartment, the tallest woman spoke up in a voice she usually reserved for cheering up Kara. 

  
  
  


"So, what were you training for then?" asked Alex brightly, offering her guest an out from the literally painful topic. Without so much as a look at each other, the girlfriends simultaneously plopped themselves down on the couch on either side of the teen. They could let the mystery of her arrival go for now, but they both knew they needed more intel on her before they could truly let their guard down. No matter how harmless she appeared now, the girl had dispatched a gang of powerful aliens earlier with brutal efficiency. That fact alone proved that, like Kara, the young woman before them was much more than met the eye.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


     For her part, Aiko lit up immediately, pride shining in her dark eyes. Now  _ here _ was something she was eager to share- just ask her brothers. The young kunoichi had done nothing but eat sleep and breathe her training since she'd passed the first two rounds of the necessary next step to achieving her dreams. 

  
  


"I’m in the upcoming fighting tournament for the third round of the Chuunin exams. Everybody says I'm a shoe-in for promotion, and once I earn my vest I'll be qualified to take more challenging missions by myself and even act as the commanding officer during group assignments. My dream is to join the Military Police, but I want to get a bit more combat and leadership experience outside the village before I apply."

  
  
  


       Whatever the officer and the agent had been expecting from the scrawny girl huddled on Alex's couch, it wasn't that. Startled looks were drawn from the two women by the sheer number of red flags those statements raised, but Aiko was too absorbed in her excited babble to notice. She continued on with her impassioned speech, nearly vibrating with excitement.

  
  


"Of course, I shouldn't assume anything. This next round's competition is tough. I may have to face a teammate in the arena, so I've been training hard to improve and come up with a few new attacks that can-"

  
  
  


      Aiko cut off suddenly, a little horrified with herself. She shouldn't be going on like this with strangers! They could be working with her competition, or worse, enemy shinobi! Well these two probably weren't, being residents of a place utterly foreign to Aiko and all... Still, best not to get in the habit of telling people about her fighting style. That was just opening herself up to an enemy-concocted counterstrategy. Wait. Oh no. Blinking, Aiko realized that all three of the couch's occupants had gone utterly silent. Had she done something wrong? She attempted to gauge the other women's reactions with a sneaky side-eye, but their grim expressions had her puzzled enough to turn to face Maggie full on. The detective offered up a soft, careful response.

  
  
  


"Don't you think you're a bit young to be joining the force?" asked Maggie gently, trying not to crush the girl's dream. The detective could empathize with her eagerness though. Lord knows that the way she'd talked, all of Blue Springs had known that Maggie Sawyer was going to be a police officer by the time the aspiring detective had been seven years old. For her part, Aiko blinked again, confused at the way she was being spoken to.

  
  
  


"No. I mean, I enjoy serving my village as a regular shinobi, but my father always said that anyone can defend from outside threats, and it takes a truly courageous person to stand up to internal ones. That's the kind of work I want to be spending my life doing."

  
  
  


Maggie ran a hand through her hair and pursed her lips. The kid missed her point completely. The detective let out a frustrated sigh, but it was Alex who spoke up next, attempting to relate to her young charge. 

  
  


"Your father sounds like a wise man." she supplied, voice edged with some emotion Aiko couldn't identify.

  
  
  


"He was." Aiko enthused, eyes shining with pride and longing "He was killed protecting civilians as they fled to the emergency bunkers during an attack on the village. He always said that it was our duty to use our power to help those who cannot help themselves, especially against those who abuse their own power. That's why I want to follow in his footsteps and become an officer in the Military Police. If I make Chūnin in these Exams, I can begin protecting the streets on active duty within a few months."

  
  
  


"That sounds... honorable." offered Alex tersely. Active duty in the Military Police at her age? What CO in their right mind would approve that? Alex was liking this 'Land of Fire' less and less as she learned more and more about it.

  
  
  


      Unfazed by the agent's dark expression, the young girl continued to wax poetic about her late father's legacy. "Of course. I am the inheritor of my father's Will of Fire, and I will follow it until my death." Aiko's eyes positively glowed with passion, and Maggie had to look away, clenching her fists. Where the fuck was this kid from, going on about following her father's footsteps and dying in the line of duty at her age? The angry movement drew the kunoichi's attention, and she frowned a bit at the woman's negative reaction to the proclamation of her dream. Surely this place wasn't so different from her home that they too had a sense of honor and duty to their fellows?

  
  
  


"The Will of Fire?" piped the agent, her inquisitive scientific mind in full swing digging for pieces of the puzzle that made up Uchiha Aiko. The teen's raven-topped head abandoned its pursuit of Maggie and swung around to meet Alex's curious gaze.

  
  
  


"It is the highest calling for any Leaf Shinobi to follow." she explained, proud patriotism evident in her reverent cadence "Our village is to be considered one big family, and we should support and fight for each other like we would blood relations. Each new generation builds on the efforts of the last, and this legacy, as well as future generations, should be protected at all costs." Aiko paused, tilting her head. "Honestly, this is basic information everyone in the Village, and beyond, knows. A Leaf ninja lives their values on the battlefield. Everyone we face must come head to head with the Will of Fire. We want to die as we live, after all... The good thing about fire, though, is that it spreads. Even if the place where it started has burned out, the rest will continue to burn on as long as there is something able to carry it." Aiko ended her speech with a wry smile, caught up in her memories of her father's bedtime stories of famous battles. Her heart filled with joy even as he spoke of the fallen and how she too was a part of their legacy, even to the point of repeating it, much to the horror of the couple beside her.

  
  
  


"So you're willing to give your life in defense of your village?" asked Maggie softly, dread curling in her breast. Aiko nodded resolutely, though she felt mild offense at the woman's implication that she wasn't.

  
  
  


"Of course! That is the highest honor for any Shinobi."

  
  
  


       God damn it. Maggie knew propaganda when she heard it. And this kid was up to her funny little headband in it. She slammed a clenched fist down onto the coffee table, and Alex reached an arm past her guest to place a comforting hand on her girlfriend's knee. Aiko shifted backwards slightly, avoiding the agent's touch.

  
  
  


"You mentioned an Academy? Is that where you go to school?" probed Alex in another attempt to smooth things over between Aiko and Maggie and break up the tension in the air. (In retrospect, she should have known she would fail again.)

  
  
  


       And once again, Aiko was offended at the proposition that she was still attending the Academy at her age, but tempered her emotion with the knowledge that these people were not from a Hidden Village and knew nothing about how they operated. They didn’t know that Aiko could only be a student still if she’d failed her graduation exam more than once already. "I did,” she began stiffly “but I graduated last year. Any child in the village that wants to become a shinobi attends."

  
  
  


"You must be really talented to have graduated so early." offered Alex, mostly because she was still hoping her theory about the girl's home was wrong. Aiko gritted her teeth in order to repress a snappish response. ‘ _ Breathe. Control yourself. You're an Uchiha _ .’

  
  


       The woman was ignorant, she didn't know she was hitting a particularly sore spot for her guest. After a subtle calming breath, Aiko responded.

  
  
  


"No, 12 is the regular graduation age. My brother Kiskue is the one who graduated two years early, and my eldest brother Ken graduated when he was 9 because training was pushed up during wartime."

  
  


Two pairs of dark eyes widened in surprise. "Is that right?" gritted Maggie, gaze boring into her girlfriend and bristling with questions. Now she  _ really _ wanted to know where the kid was from, if only to visit it to give whoever was in charge a stern talking to (read: threaten them to change their ways. Or else.)

  
  
  


       Still unfazed by the women's dark moods and feeling a homesick pang, Aiko carried on, feeling closer to home just by speaking about her big brother. "Yes. He graduated towards the end of the war, so he only went on a few actual war-related missions." she paused, eyes excited as she fell into the familiar tale she'd heard from her brother often growing up. "He did end up seeing combat though. His unit was delivering a scroll of information on enemy troop movements to one of our field commanders when they were ambushed by a squadron of Rock shinobi. They were outnumbered two to one, but they formed a protective circle and fought back to back. One of Ken's squadmates took a kunai to the knee that severed the tendon and was about to be crushed by an enemy's jutsu he couldn't escape.  My brother saw this, and leapt in front of the attack in an attempt to block it. Ken thought he was also going to be crushed by the giant rock when suddenly he could see everything in slow motion and down to the subtlest detail. Ken was able to target the jutsu's weak point and cut the huge boulder clean in half, protecting his teammate. The whole squad realized what Ken had done, and that he had activated his Sharingan. After that, Ken says the fighters rallied, and tide of the battle turned in their favor. He claims he himself even managed to catch the enemy commander by surprise with a Fireball Jutsu and take him out. Despite heavy injury, Ken's entire squad survived the battle and took out every attacker before completing the mission. The man Ken saved ended up become a desk shinobi after the war, but they're still good friends. He even named his firstborn son Kenichi in honor of Ken!" Aiko was smiling, a wistful look on her face as she thought of her big brother.

  
  
  


"How did your parents feel about this?" asked Alex, her face carefully blank.

  
  
  


"Oh they were really proud! Dad was serving in the war too, but when they were both home we had a party celebrating Ken's Sharingan. They bought him a new katana that mom taught him to use, and now he's surpassed her and become one of the Clan's most skilled kenjutsu fighters." 

  
  
  


      At this, Maggie could take no more. A nine year old fighting in a god damned war and returning home to proud parents who saw absolutely nothing wrong with that fact? Screw the talking to, Maggie was ready to burn that place to the ground. Parents who thought an appropriate reward for a 9-year-old war veteran was an actual sword and teaching him how to use it as to be an even more effective soldier the next time he went into battle? What a load of crap. Incensed, Maggie shot up from the couch with a string of unintelligible explicitives and paced angrily in front of her girlfriend. "The fuck did she come from, Danvers?" she demanded, arms flying wide and eyes nearly glowing with unbridled rage.

  
  
  


Alex just shook her head. "We're not sure. She's human, so our best guess is an alternate universe."

  
  
  


Aiko felt something cold and unpleasant settle in her stomach. An alternate universe? One completely different and separate from her own, even to the point of near-absent chakra (with some notable exceptions)? That was beyond any Space-Time Ninjutsu she'd ever heard of. 

  
  


"You can get me home, right?" Aiko silently cursed the slight waver in her voice.

  
  
  
  


       Alex sighed and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. "We're going to try our best. We have friends who are also from alternate Earths that we are going to contact as soon as possible. The only issue is going to be finding the right Earth, because yours is very different from this one, so it's going to be far away. It might take some time, but there's no reason to believe it's impossible."

  
  


Aiko felt her shoulders sag in relief. She might miss the exam finals, but at least she was not stranded forever as she had begun to fear.

  
  
  


"You'd really send her back there? After everything she just told us?" spat Maggie, rounding on her still-seated girlfriend.

  
  
  


Alex sighed deeply. "Mags it's her home. I'm not going to be responsible for keeping a little girl from her family when there's a chance for them to be reunited."

  
  
  


"Her family that supports institutional child soldiers?" hissed the seething detective "You might as well be killing her yourself!"

  
  
  


Aiko puffed up in offense. Why did these people lack faith in her ability all of a sudden. Hadn't she proven herself when she'd saved those civilians? Hadn't they questioned her about early graduation as a prodigy only a few minutes before? The kunoichi stood, squared her shoulders, and addressed the two women with all the coiled power and self-assured arrogance of her bloodline. 

  
  


"You can't keep me from doing what I was born into and have been training for my whole life. You can't keep me away from my family, my Clan and my Village." Her voice was calm and decisive, but her body was trembling with emotion.

  
  


“Sometimes people are better off away from their toxic families.” sniped the detective. Old pain was hiding behind the fury in molten chocolate eyes. Aiko matched it with steady determination, and the detective knew pushing the issue here wouldn’t get her anywhere but a brick wall. She let her breath flow from her body in a steady stream and turned her face away from Aiko. Anger spent, Maggie seemed to deflate, and with a venomous mumbling of "fucking brainwashed" she sat down on the couch again and buried her head in her hands.

  
  
  


      Aiko sniffed. So far the behavior of the people in this dimension was far from endearing, what with the way they had restrained, threatened, and insulted her person and disrespected her culture. Perhaps she could correct their behavior by alleviating their ignorance? That was how most arguments were won, after all -at least the ones that involved words and not blades.

  
  


"I don't see what the big deal is anyway. Since the village was founded, the death rates of young shinobi have decreased drastically. Between standardized Academy teachings and the formation of 3-man genin squads headed by jounin, our inexperienced shinobi are almost never vulnerable enough to get taken out unless it's by an unexpected attack or unusually powerful enemy. I mean, back in the old days the average life span was 30 because so many young shinobi were isolated in battle and killed by older and more experienced opponents. Even the brothers of the First and Second Hokages died in battle before the age of ten." 

  
  
  


       Alex's DEO-hardened demeanor cracked and allowed a horrified look to pass at the casual way Aiko was describing her people's violent past, and Maggie looked vaguely ill. Aiko spoke on, determined to get these women to see the merits of her home.

  
  
  


"The two remaining Senju brothers founded the Hidden Leaf in a treaty of amnesty with my Clan in the hopes of fostering an era of peace and protection without so much senseless death. Their dreams were more than fulfilled: our village has given life and safety to so many people in this shinobi world, and I'm willing to lay down mine to preserve it. Can you say the same of your home?"

  
  
  


Alex sighed deeply and waited for a moment in heavy silence before speaking. She needed to choose her words carefully here if she wanted to avoid offending Aiko any more in her bid to get the girl to see the situation from her and Maggie’s point of view.

  
  
  


"I can understand where you're coming from, and it's noble, but you're not  _ in _ the shinobi world anymore. Right now you've got to try to be like someone from  _ this _ world, ok? Keep an open mind and try to understand  _ our _ values. I know it’s so different from your home, but you might be surprised by what life is like here if you can get to know our ways and experience them for yourself. Try and see it as a challenge to fit in in this universe without your cover being blown until we can get you home." The agent's tone was imploring and empathetic, and she'd reached out and again placed a careful hand on her young guest's shoulder in order to try and convey the immense gravity of her request.

  
  


A lightbulb seemed to turn on in the teen's head, and her eyes lit up in understanding. "Like an infiltration mission!"

  
  
  


Alex tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Right. And in this world, the things you were talking about, the fighting and dying..."

  
  
  


"They're horrific." interrupted Maggie, voice expressing her utter exhaustion. "Kids here don't do that. They don't even have the opportunity for something like that unless they're forced into it by abusive adults desperate for power."

  
  
  


     Aiko's eyes flashed at the implication, but she was beginning to slip into undercover mindset already, so she kept her lips shut and played the part of a nobody from this world as best she could with the very limited information she'd gathered on it so far. Maggie sighed at the girl's terse but determined expression and her heavy, argumentative mood broke in favor of trying to form a connection with the stubborn kid that would be living with her girlfriend for the foreseeable future. Following said girlfriend's lead and giving in to her earlier impulse, she reached out and ruffled Aiko's hair. "You're gonna be ok, kid." she said softly, voice breaking. Aiko puffed up her cheeks in indignation, but again remained silent.

  
  
  


After a long moment of settling quiet, Maggie turned to address her girlfriend. "So, what's the official story?"

  
  
  


Alex smiled gratefully at the return of levity in the detective's tone. "For now? I'm fostering Aiko after rescuing her on a mission. It's a touching story not too far from the truth, and if people ask too many questions we can say it's classified or that Aiko is uncomfortable talking about her trauma."

  
  
  


Maggie nodded, and Aiko reinjected herself into the conversation by asking for details in a manner befitting an agent asking for a briefing before an undercover op. Alex's stomach chose then to announce it's desire for food, and the agent smiled sheepishly at her charge. "We'll talk about this in the morning, ok? Right now I think we all deserve a good meal after the day we've had."

  
  
  


Aiko cracked a smile, and Maggie nodded enthusiastically. "Well said Danvers." she paused, shifting from gazing adoringly at her girlfriend to offering an amused twinkle in the teen's direction. "I got enough for there to be leftovers, so as long as you don't eat as much as Alex's sister you should be fine."

  
  
  


The kunoichi steeled herself against the retort rising in her throat for the woman who had been so disrespectful towards her Village and took the metaphorically offered olive branch. With a grin, she made an attempt at continuing the conversation's lighter turn. 

  
  
  


"I don't know about Alex's sister, but I haven't eaten since breakfast back home, so I'm prepared to hunt down and skin myself dinner if I have to wait much longer!"

  
  
  


Both women grimaced lightly at the graphic mental image, reminded all too well of the blood the deceptively small girl had shed in their city already, but plastered on smiles as they worked to set the table and reheat the bountiful takeout meal Maggie had intended to share in an intimate dinner with her girlfriend.

  
  



	4. New Friends and Bad Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara makes an appearance, Aiko returns to the DEO, and Alex learns some more things about the shinobi lifestlye.

4.

  
  
  
  


       The next morning found Aiko waking to the sound of someone coming in through the window. As a member of a shinobi household within a shinobi village, it was something she was more than used to. In fact, at the familiar sounds she sat up, eyes still closed, and opened her mouth to scold what she assumed to be one of her teammates coming to get her for an early training session. When there was no immediate reply, the young kunoichi opened her eyes as to properly glare at the offender menacing her bedroom at such an early hour during their month of independent (strict, early-bird-sensei free!) training. She was met with the startling sight of a blonde woman in a strange red and blue outfit looking shellshocked and standing in front of an open window in the middle of an unfamiliar apartment. Right. Not in Konoha anymore. Yesterday's events flashed across the kunoichi's mind, along with a great knot of tangled emotions. The strange woman, meanwhile, remained silent and stared at the girl nestled on the elder Danvers' couch as if she had seven heads.

  
  


"You're not Alex." The blonde eventually blurted dumbly, and Aiko had to hold in her laughter. The teen rolled her eyes and gestured toward the empty doorframe behind her.

  
  


"No. Her bedroom's that way, but I have a feeling you already knew that." The blonde's eyes flicked in the direction Aiko had pointed and for a second she seemed flustered, but pulled herself together surprisingly well before addressing the teen sternly with her hands on her hips. 

  
  


"Who are you and what are you doing in this apartment?"

  
  


Aiko swallowed at the abrupt change in tone and was put off by the fact that this woman was suddenly causing her instincts to twitch at the threat of danger. 

  
  


"I'm U-" she paused, remembering that Alex had told her last night to introduce herself given name first. Apparently in this country the introduction protocol was given-name followed by family-name. After going half of dinner being called 'Uchiha', Aiko had asked the pair of older women to call her by her given name. (It was what she was used to, after all. Growing up in a Clan Compound, the teen had always referred to, and been referred to in kind by relatives, friends, and acquaintances alike by first or, on some occasions entire name as to avoid the utter chaos of everyone in the Clan answering any time someone was addressed as 'Uchiha-san') There had been a bit of confusion from the older women at first, followed by Alex briefly interrupting the meal by calling her boss to update Aiko's file, but the kunoichi was glad overall for the awkward situation. She had finally been given intel relevant to her mission to fit in. So, keeping said mission in mind, the teen replied to the blonde in a slightly subdued and hesitant tone.

  
  


"Aiko Uchiha. Alex is fostering me." 

  
  


The woman appeared utterly startled, serious demeanor dropping in an instant as she raced excitedly at an incredible speed into the sleeping agent's room and launched herself onto the bed. "Alex!" she yelled exuberantly "Why didn't you tell me you were becoming a foster parent!?!" she paused, a suddenly thoughtful pout gracing her formerly grinning features. "Does Maggie know?"

  
  


       Alex had initially woken with a start, but the familiarity of the scene lulled her back into an immediate state of calm. With a groan, she rolled over to greet the blonde menace currently bouncing on her bed like an overexcited puppy. "Good morning to you too Kara." 

  
  


"Aleeeeeex!" whined the blonde, flashing puppydog eyes she knew broke Alex every time. The brunette groaned again and sat up, running a hand through her messy morning hair.

  
  


"It's complicated Kara."

  
  


       The hero stopped her bouncing at once and cocked her head to the side. Alex inwardly groaned about telling her sister, who at the best of times had trouble keeping her own secret, that she'd somehow adopted a superpowered child soldier from another earth.

  
  


"Can you get in touch with Barry and his crew? The DEO found her after she suddenly appeared in the middle of an alien attack. Our best theory is that she's from another earth and that's about the only lead we have for getting her back home."

  
  


Suddenly serious, Kara hopped off the bed and nodded solemnly. "Of course. I'll go get Cisco's device right now." Her expression softened with empathy as she looked over her shoulder at her sister's new ward. "She must be so scared. I'll do everything I can to help." 

  
  


Alex nodded at her sister, and without a word the hero sped out the window. Glancing at Aiko to gauge her reaction, she was surprised to see that the teen had not so much as blinked at the method of her sister's swift exit. 

  
  
  


"You're not concerned that my sister just jumped out a sixth story window?"

  
  
  


Aiko scoffed. "Please. I'm not even a sensor and I could feel the massive amount of chakra she has."

  
  


       Alex's mind shifted into science mode. So Kara had lots of this 'chakra' that Aiko claimed fueled her abilities? Which somehow translated to safely falling dozens of feet out a window without any negative effects? And then there was Aiko's assessment of J'onn's customary transformation and the fact that he also had chakra... 

  
  


"What's a Yamanaka?" 

  
  


    she found herself asking, mind replaying the conversation the girl had had with her boss the night before.

  
  


"Why?" questioned the teen defensively.

  
  


Alex shrugged in her most non-threatening manner. "You mentioned it last night when you were talking about J’onn, and you commenting on Kara's chakra reminded me of it."

  
  


Aiko nodded. It was fairly safe territory to be honest, as long as she didn't go into  _ too _ many excruciating details. "They're another Clan in my village. They specialize in the mind arts and mind control jutsus."

  
  


       Alex's eyes widened. So Aiko could could tell the nature of someone's abilities by looking at them with those eyes of hers. Had she looked at Kara and seen her flight and near-invulnerability and translated that immediately to regularly-occurring, non-life threatening window travel? The agent was beginning to understand why Aiko had feared the theft of such useful tools. Forcing herself back onto the actual topic of conversation, Alex made an effort to make her tone light.

  
  


"Mind control? Isn't that dangerous?"

  
  


Aiko shrugged. "Only if you're an enemy of the Village. Yamanaka can enter the mind and see your memories, as well as go in and take control of your body like it's their own." Aiko paused at the flash of fear that crossed Alex's face. "Sorry, I'll stop there. Besides, my friend Ran would kill me for telling people all her Clan secrets!" 

  
  


Aiko was smiling now, and Alex was happy that the girl was looking her age for once. "Oh? Is Ran a shinobi too?"

  
  


Aiko chuckled. "Yeah, we went to the Academy together. She helped me when I struggled with remembering the names of flowers in kunoichi class, and we've been good friends ever since." Aiko paused and smirked. "She's a great friend, but when you insult her or someone or something she cares about she can be scary. Sometimes I wonder why I was surprised when she told me she was opting out of the standard shinobi squads and becoming an apprentice over in T & I."

  
  


Alex felt a twist in her gut. "T&I?" she asked, dreading the answer she highly suspected was coming.

  
  


"The Torture and Interrogation Force."

  
  


"Of course." responded Alex flatly, before reigning herself in and continuing in a more conversational fashion "Her mind abilities must be very helpful for that."

  
  


Aiko nodded. "That's very true. There are a lot of Yamanaka in that division, but they don't actually run it like my Clan does the Military Police."

  
  


After that disturbing bit of nepotism, Alex decided that it was time for a change of subject. "Are you up for some breakfast? We can go out and get a bite to eat before I have to head into work for the day. I'll call Kara to let her know to set up the meeting with her friends from another Earth for later today if she can."

  
  
  


 

* * *

  
  


     Aiko thought that walking into the DEO was infinitely more pleasant than being taken there against her will whilst passed out and then regaining consciousness suddenly in their medical facility. She nodded politely as she walked by the employees, feeling their stares on her back as she and Alex made their way to the command center. Breakfast (donuts!) had been lovely, and Aiko was feeling more upbeat than she had since waking up in the middle of the road. She'd hoped her good mood would last at least until the meeting with Kara's friends, but it just wasn't meant to be. 

  
  


    Aiko had been curiously eyeing the labs as she walked by, a little starstruck by all of the fancy, complicated equipment. It was only by chance she witnessed the man tinkering with the sheet of paper. Aiko squinted to try and read the words and swore her heart skipped a beat. No. That wasn't just any sheet of paper. That was a paper bomb, and he'd just lit it up! They were indoors, in a laboratory, and this fool of a man was standing by watching the paper burn with a look of curiosity on his face. He wasn't planning to move! Aiko swore under her breath. Dexterous fingers flying through hand signs, the teen Body Flickered to the fool, grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and Body Flickered away just in time. The tag went off with a bang, and all heads whipped around to face the direction of the explosion. Alarms began to blare, and J'onn came rushing out of a back room. Despite this, Aiko only had eyes for the idiot she had just rescued.

  
  


"What's wrong with you?!? You activated an explosive tag indoors and just stood there! Were you  _ trying _ to kill yourself!?!" 

  
  


The man's eyes were wide, but the teen's loud rant seemed to startle him out of his daze. "I, uh, I didn't know it would do that!"

  
  


Aiko exhaled sharply through her nose to refrain from growling. "So you what, just decided to mess with a fuinjutsu matrix you had no knowledge about? A four year old knows better than to do that!" 

  
  


     The man's shoulders drooped, and he looked thoroughly chastised and embarrassed. Then, his eyes widened in utter terror, and Aiko felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder.

  
  


"Is someone going to tell me what just happened?"

  
  


"A-Alex! Good morning! I, uh, was just examining s-some of the items we took f-from-"

  
  


Looking over her shoulder at the stern face of the agent, Aiko couldn't contain her sneer. "I just saved this incompetent fool from exploding himself with a paper bomb."

  
  


 "A paper. Bomb." stated Alex, who had to work to keep the disbelief from her voice.

  
  


      Aiko considered herself a fairly tolerant person, especially for an Uchiha, but being constantly surrounded by all of these clueless people was beginning to grate on her nerves. Especially since they were displaying an extreme last of basic knowledge and self-preservation to the point where they were putting the lives of everyone in the building- including a highly skilled and usually untouchable shinobi- at risk. She was frustrated and tired of explaining herself and stressed beyond belief just  _ thinking _ about the damage that seal-happy fool had almost caused, and those emotions were evident in the way she answered Alex’s implied question. 

  
  


"Yes. A paper bomb, also known as an explosive tag. The basic ninja tool used and carried by every shinobi on the planet." 

  
  


"And they're bombs. Made entirely of paper." 

  
  


Alex’s tone was skeptical, and Aiko had to lick her lips to restrain herself from snapping at the agent as she replied.

  
  


"Yes. Well, and chakra ink."

  
  
  


"Can you make more?"

  
  


At this Aiko’s foul mood receded a little and she actually smirked fondly. "If I have supplies. My mother wouldn't let me leave the village on a mission until I was able to make them and storage scrolls from memory."

  
  


"Storage. Scrolls?"

  
  


Aiko rolled her eyes and sighed heavily through her nose. So much for a mood improvement." _ Yes _ . Let me have my things back and I'll show you."

  
  


    The DEO agents hesitated and looked to their director, who had walked over to the arguing group once he identified them as the source of the commotion that had the entire secret government facility up in arms. He did not look even a little surprised by the culprits.

  
  
  


"Fine." he spoke, voice rich with authority. "But not a word of any of this tech gets out  _ anywhere _ without my say so." 

  
  
  


     The agents within earshot all nodded somberly, implications of a bomb made entirely of paper already racing through their highly-trained minds. The hysteria over the possibilities of acts of terror alone could send the nation into a tailspin. Not to mention the explosive golden goose such technology would be for terrorists and extremists from all across the globe -and possibly even beyond. Yes, the agents of the DEO were definitely on the same page as their leader on this one. Their lips were completely sealed on matters regarding Uchiha Aiko and all that she shared about her home and people.

  
  
  


 

* * *

  
  
  


     A few minutes later found the trio of Alex, Aiko, and Winn hunched conspiratorially over a lab bench in one of the laboratories that  _ hadn't _ just been trashed by an explosive tag. J'onn stood sentry by the door, arms crossed, and working to keep the amusement off of his face. Aiko unrolled the scroll in her hands, revealing a complicated writing system not unlike the one on the paper bomb from earlier. The basic pattern was the same; a series of smaller, complex writings encircling and radiating from a single larger symbol. Aiko channeled a bit of chakra to her palm and, with a poof, a frying pan appeared in her hand. 

  
  


"That shouldn't be possible." Alex's eyes were wide, and her mind was teeming with physics equations that utterly failed to explain what the teen before her had just done.

  
  


Aiko shrugged, oblivious to the extraordinarality of her action. "That's what most civilians say about shinobi techniques. It's just a common storage scroll. Everyone has them."

  
  


" _ Everyone _ ?" questioned Alex, scientific mind whirling with the implications such technology could have on Aiko's society and culture.

  
  


The teen tried and failed to contain her eye-roll. "Well, every shinobi. Civilians don't have enough chakra training to make or use them, so if a situation calls for using storage scrolls or the like, they just hire some shinobi for a mission to get the job done."

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


    Aiko's statement and subsequent demonstration led to a curious conversation between the young kunoichi and her new DEO acquaintances, which eventually evolved into convincing J'onn to allow she and Alex to spar in a training room. The girl practically bounced on her toes as she was allowed to reclaim most of her gear (her loose weapons and tantō unfortunately remained in federal custody), and she followed behind her hosts with a particular spring in her step as she was finally given a guided tour of the DEO as they made their way to their destination of the green training room. Once there, Alex began a series of stretches and aerobics whilst Aiko dug through her newly-returned hip pouch to locate the supplies necessary to wrap her hands and forearms in bandages. Eventually, after both parties had finished their tasks, the two combatants squared off, sliding into battle stances as a gleeful Winn pulled up the camera app on his phone to record the action. Aiko's hand instinctively folded into the Seal of Confrontation, and she bit back a frown as she saw that it was not returned.  _ Alex is not a shinobi _ , thought the Uchiha in self-chastisement. In that moment she made the conscious decision not to activate her Sharinagn for the fight. It wouldn't do to embarrass the civilian-trained woman  _ too _ badly.

  
  
  


        At a signal from J'onn the two fighters came together in a jarring clash of limbs, neither sticking out as clearly superior during their first exchange of blows. Alex had to admit, she was impressed at the tiny  13 year-old’s ability. Aiko fought like a well-oiled machine. When a punch was blocked, it was immediately followed up by a knee aimed for the gut. When that too failed, the girl's movements flowed seamlessly into the next blow of an elbow to the nose. Then a roundhouse kick. And so on and so forth in a pattern so clearly ingrained into the girl with years of practice that she had the battle instinct and muscle memory of a seasoned agent. On top of all that, gravity seemed to be more of a suggestion than a Law to the teen. Her hang time bordered on the ridiculous, and Alex was beginning to suspect that Aiko would find more of a challenge from a match with Kara than herself at her current level of ability.

  
  


     Despite Alex’s feelings of inadequacy, Aiko too was impressed by her opponent’s skill. Even though she was not using her full speed, her pace was still swift enough that the civilian woman's ability to block, soften, or avoid each and every one of her blows was remarkable. Additionally, Alex's combat style was unpredictable and adaptive, evolving before Aiko's very eyes to best seek out and exploit the limitations and disadvantaged weaker points of her own. Maybe there was something to be said of the 'civilian' agency's training after all. The women continued trading blows for several long minutes, their regard for each other growing with each strike and counter-strike that was met with great precision and skill by their opponent.

  
  


     It was by getting caught up in the familiar rush of a spar that Aiko made a crucial mistake. She was slightly distracted by the ghosts of fond memories of sparring with her teammates and brothers that Alex's familiar skill level and air of impressed comradery evoked, and as such unconsciously began to treat this match as a friendly battle of shinobi and  _ not _ a test run against an unfamiliar combatant. Unable to land any kind of decisive blow at her current parameter of curbed taijutsu, Aiko disengaged from close combat with a series of back handsprings before leaping into the air. Her right hand slid into her supply pouch, unsealing and gripping a handful of spare kunai from one of her storage scrolls. Still hanging in the air, the teen released the volley of throwing knives at her sparring partner, expecting the older woman to perform a leap similar to her own before pulling out her own kunai and engaging Aiko in midair and close-quarters knife combat. Instead, Alex's eyes widened  in surprise and she threw herself to the side in an attempt to avoid the flying projectiles. She was not entirely successful, and she crumpled to the ground with a pained cry and a kunai sticking out of her thigh. Aiko barely had time to register her horror when she found herself restrained in an iron-like headlock by a familiar (and angry) blonde.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha yeah I'm alive. Feel free to let me know how to improve my work and what you like and dislike about it.


	5. Ch. 5: It Has Been Zero (0) Days Since the Last Work-Related Incident at the D.E.O.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So.... I finally got over that writer's block. All it took was several desperately-boring days without electricity. Who knew? Also, can you believe that when I started this story all the way back in season 2 that I managed to preemptively swerve one of the most asinine breakups in tv history? I know I don't. Anyways, enjoy the ludicrously overdue bonding and friendship.

Ch. 5: It Has Been Zero (0) Days Since the Last Work-Related Incident at the D.E.O. :  OR Aiko’s Got Some ‘Splainin to Do

  
  
  
  


       The whole DEO felt like it froze, all eyes drawn to where Supergirl had suddenly whooshed into the room. Everything was so still that even the human agents could hear their own heartbeats. Then, without warning, there was a ‘pop’ and the form in Kara’s arms disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. When it cleared, the confused Kryptonian could be seen with her arms wrapped around not a person, but a punching bag. 

 

“Huh?”

 

Kara blinked dumbly for a moment, jaw hanging open in surprise. By the time she got over her shock, she was just in time to see Aiko crouch over Alex, who was sitting up on her elbows and looking down her body at the knife embedded several inches into the muscle of her leg.

 

“Hold still. This will only take a second.” murmured Aiko, one small hand wrapped around the hilt of the weapon, the other hovering right above the spot where metal pierced flesh.

  
  


“Wait-“ yelped Alex, reading the girl’s intention to remove the knife and trying to stop her from administering a treatment Doctor Doctor Special Agent Danvers knew from several elements of her training was wrong. Basic First Aid: barring poison and other extreme circumstances, it was  _ always _ better to leave the foreign object in a stab wound. 

  
  


     Apparently Aiko’s ‘Academy’ didn’t teach that basic triage rule. Alex yelled out as the kunai was ripped from her leg, but to her surprise the pain immediately began to ebb. Upon further inspection, Alex almost couldn’t believe her eyes. The bloody knife had been discarded on the mats, both of Aiko’s hands now held just above the wound and glowing a flickering green. The light came and went a few times, much to Aiko’s verbally-expressed displeasure, but by the end of a single minute Alex’s bleeding injury was reduced to nothing but a scar. With a satisfied grin, Aiko hopped back up to her full height, having the grace to offer a hand up to Alex along with an explanation.

  
  


“Should be good as new. I’m no healer, but I copied some medical ninjutsu from our squad medic in case of emergencies. I don’t have control enough for anything big, but a tiny flesh wound like that was well within my abilities.” Despite her valiant fight, a faint dusting of pink was visible on Aiko’s cheeks.

  
  


“Flesh wound? You threw knives at my sister!” Kara’s outraged voice came from across the room, where she was still clutching a punching bag tightly in her arms.

  
  


Aiko tugged Alex to her feet and turned to address the indignant Kryptonian. “Honestly, she should take it as a compliment. Her taijutsu is so good that I totally forgot I was fighting a civilian and treated her like I was sparring with one of my friends or teammates.”

  
  


“Do you throw knives at all your friends, or am I just special?” quipped Alex dryly, quirking an eyebrow and covertly shifting her weight to test out the miraculous state of her leg.

  
  


Aiko shrugged. “Not really? Sparring with live weapons is one of the first units we covered in the Third Year of the Academy. I honestly expected you to be able to dodge that attack easily.”

  
  


Shaking her head, Alex frowned as she rubbed at the hole in her tactical gear. “Well, thanks I guess? Though I don’t know how good my ‘taijutsu’ could possibly be if I’m not up to par with your average third-grader.”

  
  


“No, no, your form and fighting style are amazing!” implored the kunoichi earnestly, hands held up as a sign of her honest intentions. “The way you constantly learn and adapt- you probably would have beaten me if we had the same speed and agility.” That was the truth as Aiko believed it. If Alex were a shinobi, there was no way the Uchiha would’ve won the match against her unless she cheated and used the sharingan, and even then it was still a tossup.

  
  


“So, we’re chalking the assault on my Agent with a deadly weapon down to a cultural misunderstanding?”

  
  


    Heads swiveled around, Agents and heroes alike jumping at the voice of the DEO’s director, whom they had forgotten the presence of amidst the action of Alex and Aiko’s spar.

  
  


“Uh...” In that moment, Aiko resembled a deer in the headlights. However, to her surprise, the voice of the person that came to her defense was not Alex’s but Winn’s -the man she had earlier saved and then verbally eviscerated over his carelessness with a paper bomb.

  
  


“Aw don’t worry kid. ‘Ole J’onn here may look scary, but he’s really just a teddy bear.” 

  
  


“Schott.” The older man did not seem to appreciate Winn’s friendly shoulder-punch, nor his lackadaisical tone. The tech genius smiled up at his boss nervously, remembering in that very moment that he’d seen said boss punch through a concrete wall just last week.  “Congratulations. You just volunteered yourself for babysitting duty.”

  
  


“Hey!” complained an indignant Aiko “I do  _ not _ need a babysitter!”

 

“So you expect me to allow an unvetted individual to wander around my top secret facility unattended?” J’onn deadpanned as he raised an eyebrow at the disgruntled teen.

  
  


Oooh. Well, when he put it that way... “Fine.” conceded Aiko, crossing her arms over her chest “But if he tries to blow himself up a second time he’s on his own.”

  
  


J’onn nodded in agreement before turning his attention to the rest of the people in the room. “The show’s over. So I suggest you all get back to work before I write you up for abandoning your posts.”

  
  


Black-clad agents scrambled in all directions. At the Department of Extranormal Operations, nothing was worse than the wrath of the Space Dad. (Except, maybe, that of his daughters.)

 

 

* * *

  
  
  


     Winn would be the first to admit that he didn’t have all that much experience with kids. He hadn’t really been around any since he was one himself, and even then he went out of his way to avoid his peers like the plague. Growing up as a foster kid was never easy, but when you also happened to be the genius son of a supervillain? Well, let’s just say that little Winslow Schott was not the most popular kid on the playground.

  
  


    That being said, Winn was never one to back down from a challenge. And, as he did with most things in his life lately, he looked to his holy grail of nerddom for guidance. Winn’s brilliant solution to the babysitting problem? Cartoons. Old cartoons. The ones he’d grown up watching reruns of, the kind that everybody knew and loved. What kid could resist cartoons? So, as Winn led his charge to his desk, extra wheelie-chair from storage in tow, he was actually feeling pretty satisfied with the way he had handled things. 

  
  


      Typing quickly, he called up a video on one of his monitors, directing Aiko to her seat and instructing her to ask him if she needed anything. Nodding, the teen donned the proffered headphones and turned her attention to the screen, filing its advanced form away in her head to ask Alex about later.

  
  
  


      Everything was smooth sailing for approximately seven minutes.

  
  


“Why does the ninken talk like that?”

 

“I’m sorry?” questioned Winn, spinning his seat around so that he was face-to-face with Aiko. The girl’s headset rested around her neck, and the her nose was scrunched up in a strange mixture of confusion and disgust.

  
  


“The ‘Scooby-Doo’. Why does he talk with such a strange accent?”

  
  


Winn chuckled. “It’s a cartoon. They have creative license. Plus,” he wheeled over to the far monitor, feet pumping only once as he did so, the rest of the journey taken at a glide. “so what if he has a funny accent? It’s not like there are any  _ real _ talking dogs to compare it to. What if that’s just how dogs talk?”

  
  


Aiko’s nose twitched and her peeved expression deepened. “They do not!” she exclaimed. “If a ninken speaks the human language, they do it in a clear, concise manner. Otherwise, what would even be the point of trying to improve communication by learning a whole nother linguistic system if you’re just going to butcher it nearly beyond recognition every time you open your mouth?”

  
  


“Um, what?” Winn may be a genius, but there’s no way the vibe he picked up there was remotely accurate. He must not have heard her correctly, gotten the wrong drift. Right? She couldn’t possibly be insinuating-

  
  


“If a ninja animal is going to learn to speak with people, why bother unless they can do it properly? The time it takes to decipher the drivel that comes from Scooby-Doo’s mouth could mean life or death on the battlefield.”

  
  


    Winn blinked. “Just to be clear, you’re saying your story is that you’re a ninja from another dimension and you fight alongside talking ninja animals on a regular basis?”

  
  


     Aiko waived a hand dismissively. “ _ I _ don’t personally, but my mother was teammates with the current head of the Inuzuka Clan, and their sensei held the Bat contract, so  _ she _ fought alongside talking canines and ninkomori on a regular basis.”

  
  


“Kickass.” noted Winn sagely.

  
  


       Aiko could only preen at the victory and agree. In their prime, her mother’s team had been nothing to sniff at, and even now each member was a force to be reckoned with, regardless of their retirement status. Konoha’s Angel of Death, her Hounds of Hell, The Prince of Darkness, and the Lord of Illusion had been quite the battlefield terrors in their time.  Akuma no Shi, as they’d been known, had been the unholy enforcers of Konoha in the era between the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. Striking in the dark was their specialty, and opponents hardly knew what had hit them before they met their doom. Most often, the last thing they saw was glowing red eyes, the flash of a sword, the bone-white maw of a beast’s fangs, a creeping void of shadow, or their worst nightmares come to life. It was not a pleasant end, and such horror stories gained Akuma no Shi A-ranks in foreign bingo books -a fact Tsume-oba often used to her advantage when racking up numbers for her standing (alcoholic) bet with Aiko’s mother.

  
  
  


 

* * *

  
  
  


      Regardless of their accuracy, Aiko spent the whole rest of the day watching cartoons about various talking animals with Winn. The surprisingly amicable duo were discussing the finer points of the so-called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” -who Aiko relentlessly mocked but Winn defended valiantly- when an exhausted Alex came to collect her charge for the evening. However, she was beaten to the punch by her alien sister. 

  
  


      Seemingly out of nowhere, Kara appeared in the middle of the DEO, fully dressed in her civilian gear, one arm casually draped over Aiko’s shoulder, and wearing a sunny smile. “Oh, Alex, why don’t you head home? I really want to take Aiko out to Noonan’s and introduce her to the best potstickers in National City.” 

  
  


      Alex looked back at her sister blankly, hands automatically finding their way to her hips in unconscious preparation for a fight. So far, during the two instances when Aiko and Kara had met, they hadn’t exactly gotten along. Kara was a nice person and all, but when it came to messing with her sister? Well, Alex highly doubted the kryptonian would be able to let go of something as serious as someone stabbing her big sister in less than six hours. That meant something...  _ fishy...  _ was afoot, something that outweighed Aiko’s knifing habit with the good it would do Alex. At least, the good Kara  _ thought _ it would do Alex. The agent narrowed her eyes at her sister in suspicion. For her part, Kara almost rolled her own eyes at her sister’s obtuseness, but instead leaned forward as to fake-whisper at Alex, hand covering her mouth conspiratorially as she ignored all resistance from the woman before her. 

  
  


“Besides, didn’t you have a date planned with ~* _ Maggie*~ _ tonight?” The blonde put a deliberate teasing emphasis on the name of her sister’s girlfriend, and watched rather smugly as it caused a blush to rise on pale cheeks. Just as expected, Alex practically melted at the mere mention of the detective’s name, body language shifting to match the gooey, lovestruck pile of mush residing in her chest. Winn and Kara locked eyes and grinned at each other, grabbing hold of one of Aiko’s arms apiece and escorting her away from the DEO, freeing their mutual OTP from the third wheel it would have to navigate as long as a certain ninja remained on their Earth.

  
  


 

* * *

 

  
  


“-protects the people from alien and super-human threats alike. Supergirl is National City’s hero!” Kara practically preened as she finished explaining her role as the protector of her adopted planet, and Aiko feigned paying attention with laser focus. The  so-called ‘Girl of Steel’ seemed a bit soft and flowery to the Uchiha, but then again, that was like saying that cranberries were sweet compared to lemons. On the other end of the spectrum (and side of the table), Winn freely let his friend know what he thought of her little self-propagating speech.

 

“Ooh  _ Supergirl _ . A friend of mine saw Supergirl take her shirt off in the shower. She said that Supergirl had an 8-pack, that Supergirl was shredded.” mocked the tech-genius, using a high-pitched voice that was supposed to be an approximation of his blonde friend’s. She pulled a face and launched a French fry at him. It bounced off the tip of his nose and headed downward, but at the last second Kara apparently changed her mind about wasting perfectly good food for petty revenge, so she snatched it out of the air and popped it into her mouth before it could hit the questionably sanitary surface of the restaurant table. She then proceeded to dig in to the rest of the combo-meal she’d ordered, pointedly ignoring how Winn leaned over the table in order to recruit the young ninja to his own plot for Petty French Fry Revenge. Not that it would work, what with Kara hearing every single one of the plan’s 16 steps thanks to her super hearing. Sometimes it paid to be a superpowered alien. Case and point? All the delicious food she got to eat while her friends had to save their appetites for the main course like the rest of the normal-human-metabolism-having plebeians.

  
  


As soon as her mouth was full of it’s first enormous bite of meaty goodness, a tall figure appeared behind the table of friends as if on cue. “You ordered without me? I’m hurt.” he rumbled humorously.

  
  


“James! Buddy!” exclaimed an excited Winn, whipping around in his seat to greet his former co-worker and close friend.

  
  


“Mo,” protested a mildly-offended Kara from around a bite of her cheeseburger “thish ish-“ she swallowed “this is just an appetizer.”

  
  


James barked out a delighted laugh, and his eyes crinkled at the edges as he greeted his friends with a radiant smile.

  
  


“I heard there was someone I should meet?” he asked, open and curious gaze settling on Aiko. Kara matched his curiosity with a smile. “Aiko, this is our good friend James Olsen. And James, this is Aiko Uchiha. She’s going to be staying with Alex for the foreseeable future.”

  
  


“A pleasure.” greeted James warmly, offering a large hand for the girl to shake.

  
  


“For me as well.” responded Aiko, offering the photographer a tentative smile of her own.

  
  


Brown eyes sought out blue in search of an explanation, but with a subtle tilt of her head and shift of facial expression, Kara was able to convey that she would fill James in on the whole story later.  _ In private _ . The man responded with a small but solid nod, and Winn added a grin of his own to the mix, the minute movement speaking volumes and declaring that he’d like to be there when Kara revealed Aiko’s backstory to their out-of-the-loop friend. James chuckled and shook his head, knowing he was in for an interesting tale if Kara’s secrecy and Winn’s buzzing excitement were anything to go by.

  
  


     At last the recently-arrived Superfriend took his seat, and it wasn’t long before the waitress returned to take their orders. In the end, the group decided to get half a dozen servings of potstickers to share, along with mozzarella sticks, drinks, and a request for the waitstaff to have the dessert menu ready for when they had finished their meal. 

  
  


As they waited for the food to cook, Kara chattered excitedly in Aiko’s ear about the life-changing experience the girl was about to have, and Winn swiped the kunoichi’s kids’ entertainment sheet and crayons in order to challenge James to a rousing match of dot-to-dot. 

  
  


      By the end of it, Kara had teamed with Winn in order to topple James’ empire of 4 straight victories, while Aiko had sided with the tall man in order to help him defend his title as reigning champion. During game seven, Aiko supplied the man with a particularly fruitful piece of advice that led to their overwhelming victory just as the waitress (and friends) returned to their table, arms laden with their delicious meal. James let out a delighted laugh and held up a hand, offering Aiko a high-five in celebration of their ultimate victory. The young woman hesitated to perform such a gesture in a restaurant, but the mental image of her Clan Head’s face if he found out about Aiko participating in such behavior, and in  _ public _ no less, pushed her firmly into the decision to go for it. Their hands met in a perfect resounding ‘snap’, which caused Winn to grumble at the coolness of it all and wax poetic about the noble suffering of his plight. Kara, for her part, had already forgotten their loss, too busy piling her and Aiko’s plates high with all of the best samples of the various flavors and products they’d ordered for their consumption.

  
  


“You have to try this one first.” she implored, depositing a perfectly-cooked specimen of her favorite potsticker flavor directly onto Aiko’s plate. Hesitantly, Aiko did as she was bid, and soon found herself moaning at the exquisite taste. She utterly lost herself in the splendor of her meal (a rare state of being for any shinobi) -at least she did until she overheard the offensive commentary aimed her way courtesy of the group of sniggering young men two tables to their left. Aiko responded with her coldest glare, spiking her KI for good measure, and they hightailed it out of Noonan’s so fast that if they’d been in one of the cartoons Winn had shown her earlier, they’d have left a cloud of dust behind.

  
  


“What was  _ that _ about?” asked Kara, frowning suspiciously as she followed the trajectory of Aiko’s poisonous gaze to the place where several youths had been seated only the minute before.

  
  


“Didn’t you hear them talking trash about us?”

  
  


Kara blinked at the venom in the girl’s voice and searched her memory banks for a possible trigger for the vitriol. Playing the last few minutes over again in her head, Kara’s eyes widened when she realized the element that was out of place.

  
  


“Aiko, those guys weren’t speaking english.”

  
  


“English?” the girl’s head tilted in confusion, and Winn and James exchanged a look from their place across from the ladies.

  
  


“The language we’re all speaking right now?” Winn tried to sound casual, but the way his pitch rose abruptly at the sentence’s end indicated his unease.

  
  


“Everything sounds normal to me, not whatever this ‘english’ thing is.”

  
  


Now the Superfriends all looked concerned, but Aiko didn’t really understand what the big deal was. She had already been transported to a completely different universe against her will. So what if she could miraculously speak its languages too? Wasn’t that a good thing?

  
  


“Kara, unless the DEO somehow invented a universal translator between my last visit and now...”

  
  
  


“I know, James. We’re definitely missing a piece of the bigger picture here. Either this is another part of some giant cosmic coincidence... or Aiko’s presence here was planned and deliberate.”

  
  


“But what would any bad guy have to gain from gifting us with a kickass baby ninja?” interjected the third adult in the party, who had thus far been silently watching Kara and James’ hushed conversation like a spectator at a tennis match.

  
  


Kara’s infamous crinkle made it’s first appearance of the day.

“I don’t know Winn. I don’t know.”

  
  


A tense shroud of silence descended upon the once lively group, smothering all smalltalk and revelry   -until it was abruptly yanked back by the appearance of their smiling waitress, dessert menus ready-in-hand.

  
  


      A wordless pact was made to finish their discussion at a later date, and the Superfriends accepted their server’s offerings with friendly smiles. Unhappy about the abrupt change of subject but knowing that there was a time and place for everything, Aiko reluctantly followed their lead. She wanted to know why she was here more than anybody, but she also knew it was imperative that she follow Alex’s directive and keep a low profile. The last thing she needed was to call attention to herself and draw the ire of whatever entity had sent her here. A ninja could always work best from the shadows, and Aiko and her allies needed every advantage they could get if they were going to face an entity with enough power to send someone between worlds -especially adding in the new element of the translation abilities to boot.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. All of the story published so far only makes up 47 of the 104 Google Docs pages it takes up. Yeah. I need to bridge the gaps or this thing will eat me alive. Feel free to inquire about what fragments are coming up next.


	6. More Questions Than Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The evening in at Chez Danvers gets interrupted. Maggie and Alex have A Talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe we're finally here? This is the last of the 'stop-gap chapters', ie Ch. 7 will be the first bit I ever wrote for this story... over a year and a half ago.... (I'm so happy to finally share it with you.)

6 : More Questions Than Answers:

  
  
  


      Alex and Maggie were washing off the stresses of the day by enjoying themselves together in a nice, hot, shower when the detective came across something that brought a worried frown to her face. She ran a soapy washcloth along her girlfriend’s upper thigh, tracing the  silvery-white scar she knew had not been there the night before. (One of Alex’s drawers was filled with various dorky pajama sets that her sister had gifted her over the years. Maggie had great difficulty trying to pick her favorite, but the set consisting of a pale green tank-top featuring a portrait of Rosalind Franklin, and it’s mate, a pair of white booty-shorts dotted with double-helixes of DNA, had definitely recently taken the lead. The agent had donned them just the night before, the high hemline showing off enough of her girlfriend’s long legs for Maggie to be sure that the scar she was looking at had definitely  _ not _ been there the previous evening, even if the lovers had been prevented from engaging in more...  _ adult activities _ ... due to Alex’s teenaged houseguest.)

 

“What happened?”

  
  


“Uh...” stuttered the agent, struggling for a response that  _ wouldn’t _ set Maggie’s blood to boil. To her great luck (-or misfortune, depending on your point of view) Alex’s alone time with her girlfriend was brought to an abrupt end by the sound of a key in a lock, followed by the indistinguishable medley of several excited voices. However, the only person with a key to the apartment that  _ wasn’t _ currently naked in the shower was Alex’s little sister Kara, whose laughter could be heard ringing out over the din of the falling water, so the DEO agent wasn’t exactly worried about a robbery. She wasn’t without her anxieties, though, as she knew she would never hear the end of it once she was caught by Kara (and whatever combination of her friends was currently accompanying her) taking a tandem shower with her love. With a sigh much too despondent for someone currently naked with their attractive lover, Alex reached out a hand and turned off the water. It wasn’t like they’d actually gotten to the part where orphaned soap or shampoo would have been an issue, nor, realistically, were they ever intending to. The pair dressed quickly (each donning a set of Alex’s goofy pj’s) and headed out to the living room to meet their uninvited guests.

  
  


“You’re back early.” deadpanned Alex, poker-face firmly in place. Kara’s eyes widened behind her glasses, taking in the sight before her, before squeezing shut as the Kryptonian blushed pink.

  
  


“Maggie and Alex sitting in a tre-ow!” singsonged Winn, his teasing lyrics interrupted by a sharp elbow from James. 

 

“What?” questioned the tech genius, and his taller friend sent a significant nod Aiko’s way.

 

“Ohhh.” Winn was suddenly glancing nervously at Alex, whose nostrils had already flared during his little outburst. The young man suddenly feared for his life.

  
  


“I’m 13 not 5. I know what sex is.” commented Aiko drolly. It was almost humorous the way that the adults were squirming and trying to keep from even remotely mentioning the topic in her presence. Almost.

  
  


“Right. Well. We’ve got other matters to attend to.” declared Kara boldly, as if the sheer volume of her words could somehow purge the memories of the last five minutes from all of their minds.

  
  


“Oh?”

  
  


      That was Maggie, seemingly completely at ease with the whole just-got-caught-showering-with-my-girlfriend-by-her-baby-sister-and-foster-child situation. (Even though inside she was really anything but. However, if Maggie Sawyer had learned anything over the years, it was how to put on a brave face and seem impervious during a time of personal stress. She put up a front and let the water of whatever was rushing her down get turned aside by the bulwark of her unaffected, devil-may-care, or even smiling facade. It came in handy on the job when she faced down powerful, dangerous criminals in the field and across the table in an interrogation room, and there was a bitter, cynical, but still standing part of Maggie that was grateful for her parents forcing her to learn that lesson so early on in life. Truly, it was part of what had allowed her to survive and even thrive in her life -both professional and personal. (Though, now that Maggie thought back on it, she hadn’t really thrived in her personal life, had she? Not until Alex. Alex, who was hard and soft and slipped through each and every one of her defenses like the thick iron walls that had protected her heart for so long were nothing but a colander.) But here was a situation that even Alex was uncomfortable with, felt threatened by, so Maggie knew she had to protect her. Stand sentry in front of her. Cover her exposed areas and build up a dam big enough and strong enough to protect them both from the floodwaters of emotion and embarrassment the situation would bring.) (The scariest part? Maggie knew that she trusted Alex enough to do the same if situation was ever reversed?)

 

“Is there a good reason you guys all barged in here like a herd of elephants an hour and a half early?”

  
  


“Yeah!” said Winn, enthusiastic about anything that brought the topic of conversation away from his little misstep. “Apparently Aiko’s got a babelfish!” 

  
  


“Really?” questioned Alex, leaning forward unconsciously as she was totally drawn in by the revelation, previous discomfort all but forgotten in the face of a biological mystery. “Are we talking literal or metaphorical?”

  
  


“We’re not sure yet, but Kara and Winn tested it on a bunch of different languages, both alien and otherwise, and Aiko was able to understand them just fine.” added James, causing Alex’s eyes to alight with scientific curiosity.

  
  


“Your scans at the DEO didn’t indicate anything unusual?” probed Maggie, knowing how the shadowy organization operated well enough by now to be sure that they would never have let Aiko leave the premises without first taking copious amounts of bio-samples and running a battery of tests.

  
  


“You’re right. There was nothing too far out of the ordinary going on, so either we missed something, or the technology that’s doing this isn’t detectable with our equipment.”

  
  


“Or both.” offered James darkly.

  
  


“ _ Or _ it’s deliberately being masked by someone...or something.”

  
  


Aiko’s interjection was a sobering one, and it left the adults all the more wary of the situation.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
  


      The initial thread of excitement of the moment broken, Alex ushered her gaggle of guests into the living room and gestured for them all to sit. She then proceeded to turn on her sister and junior agent, pumping them for information about what, exactly, had led to their little discovery. As Kara pushed her glasses up on her face and answered her sister’s intense questioning as best she could, James and Aiko, who had both also been present during the revelation of Aiko’s odd linguistic ability, shared a look at being ignored in favor of the witnesses Alex knew she could break as easily as tissue paper (at least when it came to something as benign as this). Maggie caught the look and let out a silent chuckle at their half-relieved, half-offended expressions before turning her attention back to Alex. Dimples emerged as she stared adoringly at he adorably nerdy girlfriend. (She’d done her job. Agent Alex was back in command, the wavering, off-balance, mortified mush-ball safely back behind a wall of professionalism, waiting to emerge the next time Alex felt comfortable enough to let it.)

  
  


“Does she  _ understand _ all languages, or do they all just  _ sound _ the same?” demanded Doctor Doctor Special Agent Danvers, seeking to narrow down the possibilities of the true identity of the proverbial ‘Babel-fish’.

  
  


Kara’s eyes widened, and she looked helplessly to Winn, baby blues pleading for the answer she did not have. The man barred his teeth in a grimace and shrugged, his own desperate gaze darting over to Aiko.

  
  


“Everyone sounds like they are speaking  _ my _ language.” she supplied.  Hiding the amusement that bubbled in her chest as National City’s self-proclaimed hero scrambled when faced with the wrath of her elder sister. Kara and Winn appeared relieved by the girl’s words, as they seemed to appease their dogged Inquisitor, at least for the time being.

  
  


“Do you guys have any record of tech that does that? And if so, does the culture that made it have the ability to add in any kind of built-in invisibility mode?” piped Maggie, addressing the two agents of the secret agency that hoarded alien-related knowledge and technology like they were dragons with a cave full of glittering jewels. (If and when Maggie learned that the DEO’s nearby desert base was, in fact, located within a cave, she would recall this on-the-nose analogy and burst out laughing, much to the confusion of her girlfriend and her brand new acquaintance Lucy Lane.)

  
  


Winn’s eyes met Alex’s for a moment, seeking permission, and she granted him approval to speak freely to Maggie with a small jerk of her chin. He swallowed nervously, clearing his throat before addressing Maggie. “Nothing comes to mind off the top of my head, but I can head back to the DEO and run a search through the database for any tech matching those parameters.”

  
  


At this, Alex shook her head, puffing out a tired sigh and running her fingers through her damp, messy locks. “Nobody is in immediate danger, so it’s not anything that can’t wait ‘till morning. You go home for the night and get some rest. It’s been a long, exciting day.” 

  
  


Winn nodded gratefully at his superior and made to stand. The matter settled for now, Alex turned to her sister and her sister’s friendly ex and made the same ‘suggestion’ that they vacate the premises. Kara laughed good-naturedly and hugged her sister goodbye before disappearing in a blur or motion, and James grinned as he quickly glanced between the still-drying heads of his friends, a knowing glint in his eye that   had Maggie squinting threateningly in his general direction. It only served to heighten his amusement. The man outright chuckled as he slung an arm around Winn’s shoulders and offered to share a cab, unsubtly doing everything he could to usher him out of the older Danvers’ apartment as quickly as possible.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


     The awkward silence that reigned in the wake of the ‘thud-click’ of the door swinging shut behind the departing Superfriends was louder and longer than Alex would care to admit.

  
  


“Sooo.... you enjoy your first full day in our dimension?” she questioned, friendly smile plastered on her face. 

  
  


Aiko shrugged from where she sat stiffly on the couch, back as ramrod straight as if she were trying to balance books on her head. At dinner, Kara had told her that she was currently unable to contact her extra-dimensional friends, and that Aiko was going to have to stay put for the time being. The kunoichi was less than pleased at the revelation.

 

“It’s fine.” she told Alex dully, faking nonchalance. The spark of angry frustration that glinted in her eyes, however, told another story.

  
  


Maggie silently shook her head at the awkward staredown, knowing that it would fall on her to ‘break the ice’ as it were. Her training as a police officer covered how to handle kids during and after stressful situations, so she knew that Aiko was clamming up and becoming more closed-off and hostile than before now that the initial shock of dimension-hopping had ended, and she knew exactly what to do to draw the kid out of the spiky shell she had developed. “You got any cards, Danvers?” asked the detective, rising to her feet and turning expectantly to her girlfriend.

  
  


“Uuuhhh-“ mumbled Alex, brilliant mind briefly short-circuiting at the non-sequitur “check the drawer to the right of the utensils.”

  
  
  


     In less than a minute, Maggie had returned to the living room area, her prize raised triumphantly above her head as she tumbled back onto the couch with a dimpled grin. With deft hands that spoke of many an hour spent perfecting the art, Maggie slid the pack from its thin casing and shuffled the cards with a flourish. Without a word, she began to deal, creating three piles of seven cards before depositing the thicker remaining pile of thirty-one in the center of the coffee table and retrieving one of the trio she had just doled out. She fanned them out and lifted them carefully to her face, leaning over so that only her eyes and above were visible to the other people in the room.

 

“Say, Aiko, you ever play Go Fish?” 

  
  
  


The teen raised an eyebrow at the challenge in the older woman’s voice before snaking a hand in to retrieve one of the two remaining smaller piles, her own eyes never leaving Maggie’s as she did so. “No, but I have a feeling that I’m about to, and Uchiha  _ always _ play to win.”

  
  


Maggie’s responding grin was rather sharklike in nature, and Alex huffed out a fond laugh at her love’s competitive behavior as she claimed the final seven-card-pile as her own.

 

“Alright then, game on! Got any threes, babe?”

  
  
  


 

* * *

  
  


      A handful of hours an a slightly unreasonable number of card-game rounds later found Alex and Maggie snuggled up beneath the taller woman’s fluffy white duvet. They could hear the soft pattern of Aiko’s sleeping breath out on the couch from where they lay, Maggie’s arms wrapped around her girlfriend’s waist and feeling the rise and fall of her breath as well. She could tell she wasn’t quite asleep yet, so Maggie nudged her nose in the particularly sensitive spot behind Alex’s left ear in order to gain her attention and keep her from drifting off just yet. Now that they were free from little ears, Maggie wanted to talk.

  
  


“Hmm?” Hummed Alex sleepily, her shoulders twitching involuntarily at the ticklish sensation before her mind caught up to where she was and she melted back into Maggie’s embrace.

 

“Has your super-secret agency got all of Aiko’s false documents in order yet?” questioned the detective, her tone sounding more like she was spit-balling theories with a partner at the precinct rather than engaging in pillow-talk with her lover.

 

“Mmm. Not yet. I need to take her down to see Pam in HR with me when I go so that we can build them around as much of the truth as possible.”

  
  


Maggie nodded against her girlfriend’s neck, swallowing and licking her lips before speaking the sentence she had built herself up to deliver.

 

“When you do, put me down for her second emergency contact, or even in the spot of Parent 2.”

  
  
  


Eyes flying open, Alex rolled over so she could look at Maggie in the dim light. “Mags?” she whispered, voice a bit trembly with the emotions that had just started raging around in her chest like a racquetball.

  
  


Maggie bit her lip and hunched in on herself slightly. “Don’t get me wrong here Danvers. This isn’t me rushing in out of the blue to play happy families. But with everything we’ve learned about Aiko and where she’s come from, I feel like she’s vulnerable to being manipulated into becoming a mindless tool for some shadowy power out there in the business of using human weapons. She’s already been exposed to so much violence and propaganda, all anyone would need to do was face her at their enemies and pull the right trigger. If there’s anything I can do to stop that, even if it’s only making her less of an easy target by tagging her as a member of a cop’s family, I’ll do it. She’s a good kid, and she deserves to have a peaceful, happy life... Every 

kid does.”

  
  


Maggie’s eyes were suspiciously wet, but her voice held steady conviction. Alex felt her chest swell with warmth as she gazed at the way her girlfriend’s coffee-colored orbs glittered with the few stubborn city lights that penetrated into the the dark of the bedroom.

 

“You have a good heart, Maggie Sawyer.” she whispered, leaning in to ghost a kiss across her girlfriend’s forehead before snuggling into her chest and promptly dropping off to sleep.

  
  


Maggie smiled into her girlfriend’s hair, but did not follow her into Morpheus’ arms. Her mind was too full, and the old, dredged-up emotions that stirred and churned in her chest for the first time in over a decade made her feel too much to fall asleep just yet. She spent a long time examining how she felt about what she’d just done, and when she finally did drift off, her mind was flooded with images combining her painful past, Aiko’s uncertain present, and a warm future she’d had no idea she wanted. (When Maggie Sawyer awoke the next morning, warm in her lover’s arms, it was to an odd, fading combination of contentedness and the bittersweet loss of something important she could not remember.)

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A planned thing since the beginning.... can y'all believe I 100% effectively swerved the Sanvers breakup waaaaaaaay before it happened? Yeah, me neither......


	7. And the Cat Came Back: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiko has a run-in with a certain 'big cheese' and throws her babysitters under the bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol I have no self-control. What's pacing? ANYWAYS, here it is. One of the first bits of this story I ever wrote, waaaay back when I decided to (metaphorically) put pen to paper and actually start writing my ideas down. This has sat on my phone for like a year and a half, and now I can FINALLY say that the character tags aren't lying.

  
  


=  And the Cat Came Back (Part 1) =

  
  


  
  
  
  
  


      Cat Grant was used to making an entrance. She'd fought and clawed her way up to the top of her own media empire, and nowadays she couldn't go anywhere without turning heads. She had extensive experience in causing a commotion with nothing but her mere presence, but today's surprise visit to the CatCo headquarters in National City was shaping up to be one of her top ten personal favorite entries of her career. She'd just arrived in the city for an unexpected two-day stay, and, riding high on the prospect of getting to spend time with her younger son, decided to strike fear into the hearts of her employees by showing up to her building unannounced. Paranoia was such a good motivator for hard work. The whispers had started the second the sound of her heels began to echo through the lobby. Heads whipped around, and one man even dropped his coffee in shock. Cat had to suppress her smirk as she strode her way over to her private elevator. Ahhh. It was good to be back.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


    The doors opened with a ping, and Cat sauntered out onto her floor to dead silence, save for the buzzing of phones no doubt receiving frantic messages from coworkers attempting to warn their comrades of the approaching force of nature known as Cat Grant.

  
  
  


"Hard at work I see, Mr. Olsen." quipped Cat as she breezed through the entrance to her office. At least she would have if she hadn't been surprised into silence by the sight before her. Oh there was someone in the office alright, but the milky white skin, charcoal eyes, and feet that hung several inches above the ground from the elevated desk chair made it  _ very _ clear that this someone was NOT the man she had appointed to run her company in her absence.

  
  
  


"Where is Mr. Olsen?" demanded Cat in her most intimidating tone, the one that had made men and women alike weep and flee her presence. The CEO was pleasantly surprised that the girl behind her desk, who upon closer observation couldn't be any older than Carter, did not so much as flinch.

  
  


"James had to step out for a bit, but I can take a message for you if you'd like?"

  
  


Cat raised an eyebrow. Either this girl had ovaries of steel, or she actually had no idea who she was talking to. "Do you know who I am?" asked Cat, attempting to sound as non-cliché as possible when being forced to ask a question like that.

  
  


The girl, calm as ever but now with an edge to her tone, of course replied with a mildly condescending "Should I?"

  
  


     Cat felt a sound between an amused chuckle and an offended gasp slide from her throat. "Oh you should, considering you're in  _ my _ building, sitting in  _ my _ office, at  _ my _ desk." Cat finally saw a spark of something flash behind those dark eyes, and gleefully went in for the kill. "So do you want to tell me how you got in here, and why there's a child sitting in my office at 12:15 on a Tuesday?"

  
  
  


      Said child was spared from responding by the timely arrival of Mr. Olsen himself. He looked harried, which surprised the CEO, as one of the reasons she'd chosen him to attempt to fill her shoes was his unflappable demeanor. "I see you finally managed to show up, Olsen." sassed Cat. Her tone left no room for interpretation about her mood.

  
  
  


"Ms. Grant, what a surprise! I thought you were in Boston until next month?" 

  
  
  


Again Cat sensed some underlying nerves behind the man's deliberately easy smile, but, oddly enough, they didn't seem to be directed at her.

  
  
  


"Speaking of surprises," began Cat, tilting her head and indicating a certain  _ youthful _ surprise with a small gesture of a well-manicured hand "imagine mine when I pop in to see how my company is being run and I find not the interim CEO at his desk doing his job, but a  _ Girl Scout _ ."

  
  
  


       James' eyes flicked over to Aiko, who met his gaze challengingly. Internally wincing at his future death-by-Alex, the man squared his shoulders and turned his attention back to his boss. He was already going to be eviscerated by at least one powerful woman today, and he needed to get his act together unless he wanted to add the Queen of All Media to the list. So, professional smile in place, James Olsen stepped up to the plate and attempted to placate an irritated Cat Grant.

  
  
  


"I apologize, I just had to deal with another issue for a few minutes, but I'm here now and happy to show you everything we've been working on during your sabbatical." 

  
  
  


Cat had to physically restrain herself from strangling the man. "Olsen. I couldn't possibly care less if you had just smoked a joint with the Chief Editor of the Daily Planet, or whatever unprofessional nonsense you have going on at the moment. What I want to know is why there is a strange child sitting in my office in the middle of a school day?" There. She'd laid it out for him in such simple terms that even his clearly impaired brain should be able to understand.

  
  
  


"Oh. Right.” A trademark radiant smile graced the photographer’s lips as he gestured to his current charge. “This is Aiko. She's new to the city, and we thought it would be nice for her to get to see it from the best perspective." He smiled warmly at his boss, waving a hand as he complimented the truly stunning view from her office window.

  
  
  


  At this blatant attempt at flattery, Aiko rolled her eyes. She somehow doubted the formidable woman before her would be appeased by such a lackluster ploy anywhere, let alone in her own domain, but just in case, Aiko decided to clarify some things and draw her allegiance lines out in the sand. "I’m here because he's babysitting me. Apparently 13-year-olds cannot be trusted to look after  _ themselves _ in this city."

  
  
  
  


      ‘Damn it.’ thought James, who could do nothing but watch as his former dot-to-dot partner turned on him and abandoned him to the (widely sought-after cryptid known as the) mercy of Cat Grant. Aiko’s tone was petulant and near-hostile, and it was clear that she was displeased with the fact that she was being treated like a child (or, as her darker sensibilities pointed out, a criminal), noticing that she had been placed under the supervision of at least one hovery Superfriend at all times since her arrival. 

 

James mentally sighed at the outright unraveling of their transparent plan. They should have known better than to try to pull one over on a literal ninja. But after the disaster at the DEO yesterday when Alex had brought Aiko with her to work, the Superfriends had come to a consensus that they had to find alternative ways for the teen to spend her days. James had drawn the short straw and been elected the first warden of the day, because there was no way J’onn, Alex, or any of the DEO agents that weren’t Winn thought that it was a good idea to let Aiko be out without supervision from at least one person who knew about her origins. 

  
  
  


      James had endured all manner of ‘Guardian’/guardian jokes from Winn, but had also secretly been glad to be the girl’s chaperone for the day. Powered or no, James was pretty fond of kids, and helping to keep one out of trouble seemed like a worthy cause for any hero. Plus, keeping her isolated at the top of a tall building seemed like a safe bet for preventing any future fiascoes, because what could a teenager possibly get up to sitting in an office all day? James allowed himself a moment to wallow in his regret. Why they had let Kara be in charge of coming up with the cover story (because no 13-year-old  _ wanted _ to have a babysitter, especially not one as independent and stubborn as the one they were dealing with) they’d fed to Aiko was beyond him. Lucy would probably advise him to plead temporary insanity triggered by Kara’s unfair ability to pout. (The younger Lane had fallen victim to such a look more than once on game night, but had argued that her loss record be expunged on those grounds.) James was unsure whether that defense would hold up in the court of Alex Danvers, though. And by the look on her face, he could already tell it wasn’t going to cut it in the court of Cat Grant either.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  


   "That's very charitable of you Mr.Olsen, but that still does not tell me who she is or why the hell she is in my office. This is a Media company, not a daycare." said Cat coolly, ignoring Aiko’s jab at her employee completely.

  
  
  


James was an intelligent enough man to know when he’d been had, so he decided it was time to bring in the big guns. "I know, ma'am, but Kara will be here to pick her up soon-"

  
  
  


"Kiera is involved in this?" interrupted Cat. Honestly, she didn't know why she was so surprised. That ridiculous woman was always wrapped up in any out-of-the-ordinary occurrence that went on in the building.

  
  
  


"Yeah, Aiko is her-" the man hesitated, sending a gentle but questioning look over to the dark-haired girl. 

  
  
  


Said girl continued his statement with an even tone and a gaze that seemed to dare Cat to say anything about it. "Her sister is currently fostering me."

  
  
  


At this Cat was actually surprised. "Huh. I didn't think Agent Scully the type." 

  
  
  


Aiko's brow furrowed. "Her name is Agent Danvers. Do you have trouble remembering people's names, Miss Grant?"

  
  
  


     Oh how the CEO would have torn the speaker apart if that little dig had come from anyone else. But the girl seemed to be at least partially serious. And her ability to withstand the patented Cat Grant Glare(TM)  _ had _ been rather impressive...

  
  


"Only for those who don't earn the privilege, Ami." came the breezy compromise statement. Best not to get ahead of herself by outwardly expressing her positive opinion of the child. She was Cat Grant, after all. She had a reputation to uphold.

  
  
  


     The reaction on the girl's face to that biting statement was equal parts offended and impressed. Cat held back a smirk, but allowed her gaze to soften just enough to let the girl know she was teasing. She was many things, but never let it be said that Cat Grant was unjustly cruel to children. She already toed the line of efficiency and public opinion. There was no need to further caricaturize herself as a wicked witch when she could simply treat the young people of the world the way they deserved to be treated: as still growing beings whose potential needed to be fostered correctly as to guide them onto their best possible life-paths. 

  
  
  


At Cat's uncharacteristic (at least to her employees and business partners) concession, the expression of the child before her shifted entirely to impressed. Cat smiled inwardly. Oh how she loved inspiring the youth. And this one seemed  _ particularly _ rife with potential. CEO and teenager eyed each other critically, each daring the other to speak first and reveal more information about themselves. A mutual interest had been piqued, and neither woman was yet ready to back down from the rare find of a perspective worthy opponent to face in a verbal spar.

  
  
  


     Once again, the tense conversation was interrupted by a disheveled CatCo employee hurrying into the room. "Sorry I'm late, there was a robbery on-" Kara froze, eyes going wide behind lead-lined glasses as they took in the scene she'd just walked in on. "Cat!" she squeaked, bouncing over to the CEO "I didn't know you were in town!"

  
  
  


"I just decided to stop by." she offered lazily, though anyone who knew anything about Cat Grant knew the tone as a tactic to lure in her prey with a false sense of security before going in for the kill. "But what's this I hear about a robbery?"

  
  
  


A brief moment of panic washed over the Kryptonian, but she quickly pulled herself together and offered what she thought was a plausible reply. "Oh, that. The bank I was planning on going to go to had just been robbed, so I had to walk a few blocks to get to another one and it made me a few minutes late."

  
  


James relaxed unconsciously as the relatively convincing lie fell from his friend's lips. Thank God for small miracles.

  
  
  


      Cat pursed her own lips, knowing a lie when she heard one, especially coming from such a terrible liar as her former assistant. She didn't call her on it though (as usual). Instead, she offered the taller blonde a chance to catch up. Well, maybe ‘ _ offered’  _ was a bit of an overstatement. It was more of a demand, really. "We'll be having dinner at my penthouse this evening. I expect you to be there by 4:30.” She paused, looking Aiko up and down now that she had risen from her perch behind the desk. “Feel free to bring the girl." She added, in what would be an afterthought if it was coming from anyone  _ other _ than Cat Grant.

  
  
  


Kara nodded dumbly, recognizing the order for what it was. "Sure! We’ll be there! It's uh- lovely to see you Ms. Grant, but I promised Aiko that I'd show her around the city a bit on my lunch break, so..." 

  
  


Cat nodded. "Of course. Far be it from me to get in the way of young Ami’s education." Aiko sent a confused smile the CEO’s way and made to meet Kara at the door to leave, but stopped in her tracks when Cat spoke again. "And Kiera... let your sister know to contact me if she needs anything. I  _ do _ know a thing or two about raising a teenager." 

  
  
  


Kara smiled blindingly at her boss and wished her and James a great day before nudging Aiko gently with her shoulder and skipping to the elevator, disappearing from sight.

  
  
  


"Tell no one of this." ordered Cat, voice deadly serious as she turned her attention back to James. The man nodded solemnly, but smiled inwardly as he felt a spike of pride at working for such a caring woman -even if she tried to hide her softer side from the rest of the world beneath layers of snark and armor forged of sharp, candorous wit. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I'm really proud of my Cat characterization here, so I'd like any feedback on it you can give me.
> 
> :)


	8. And the Cat Came: Back Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the Grants. A bromance is born.

  


 = And the Cat Came Back: Part 2 =

  
  
  


      Carter Grant was unlike anyone Aiko had ever met. He was clever and kind, but the way he acted and spoke... it was evident that they were literally from two different worlds. For starters he was a civilian and ignorant of what it meant to be a shinobi. Even civilians her age of her homeland would take one look at Aiko, see her hitai-ate, see her Clan symbol emblazoned on her back, and they'd head the other way. Not Carter. Sure, conversation had been awkward and stilted at first, but then they'd gone up to his room, and he'd sworn her to secrecy as he pulled out a game he explained his mother had no knowledge of and would _definitely_ not approve.

  
  


       After a crash course on what exactly a video game console was and how to play one (Aiko wished she'd had her Sharingan active as to burn the face he'd made when she'd told him she'd never played a video game before into her memory forever) the pair had settled onto the floor in front or Carter's television. Aiko had chosen to control a white-suited character called Raiden in honor of her genin squadmate of the same name. Carter, on the other hand, had opted for a black and blue colored man labeled 'Sub-Zero'. Aiko spent the first round fumbling and making pointed statements about the virtual men's odd, stilted taijutsu (biting her tongue about the constant use of handsealless ninjutsu in respect to Alex’s rules and the fact that their jutsu, while extremely unlikely, _was_ technically possible). Carter somehow found her, ah, spirited grumbling funny, and called her "cool" for knowing karate. By the end of the first match Aiko had already been frustrated, but upon witnessing the so called "FATALITY" inflicted upon her character, Aiko lost it. She threw down her controller, flung her hands in the air, and exclaimed "That's not how anatomy works!"

  
  


      That had set Carter off into a gut-busting giggle fit, after which he eventually caught his breath and explained that the actions were not supposed to be accurate, but intentionally over-the-top and simultaneously humorous and oddly satisfying. Aiko had to concede on that point, and soon the pair were right back to playing, with the Uchiha steadily improving until the once one-sided battles were now neck and neck.

  


"Come on you poor excuse for a fighter, constantly tackling your opponent while screaming is _not_ a valid attack strategy!"

  


Carter smirked and went for a freezing attack once again. Aiko laughed triumphantly when, that time, she was finally able to dodge it. Eventually, Aiko loudly claimed her victory -and the fatality. As the animation played, however, she could do nothing but stare. She was actually stunned silent by it for a moment, before turning to Carter and rehashing her earlier complaint. "That's not how Lightning Style works."

  


Carter laughed again. "Raiden is the god of thunder. I don't think the normal rules apply to him." Once again, Aiko had to concede to Carter’s justification.

 

 

* * *

 

 

      Eventually the pair grew tired of the game, powering it down and shifting their bodies so they laid flat on the rug, the tops of their heads about an inch apart as they reclined in opposite directions and stared up at the ceiling as they talked. Now that the initial awkwardness was out of the way, the two teenagers were getting along like a house on fire. Strange though it may sound, the two ran in such different circles that they felt comfortable telling each other things they’d never say to anyone close to them. The near anonymity and sheer differentness of the lives they’d lived led to a kind of honesty and frankness they’d never have with someone who could empathize with their struggles. There was no judgement, simply because each teen wasn’t equipped with the know-how on how to judge the successes or failures of the other.

  
  


      That’s not to say that Aiko and Carter had nothing in common; through talking, they found out that they had many shared likes and dislikes, ranging from food to colors to personality traits. Childhood anecdotes and stories of school were exchanged, though Aiko had to be careful as to exclude references to anything Alex had forbidden her from speaking of with those not already in the know. Carter had admitted to current troubles at school in getting on with his classmates, to which Aiko had offered her physical assistance. That had elicited a smile, but the boy had maintained his stance that the kunoichi not use her "mad karate skills" for anything that would get her in trouble, no matter how sure she was that she would not be found out. Besides, the young man insisted on taking on his own problems, though he did open up about them in a deep and surprisingly therapeutic way.

  
  


"Nobody at school really gets me. I'm just the weird anti-social kid whose mom makes news of everyone else's parents and is infamous for her unyielding attitude. I mean, I love my mom, but living up to her reputation is hard, and whether I do or don't, people still judge me for it."

  
  


Aiko hummed in agreement. "My Clan has a reputation of stoicism, arrogance and being hungry for power among many people of my village. These people tend to mistrust us on principle, despite everything my family does and has done for them. Without my Clan, our village wouldn't even _exist_ , yet we are still seen by most as untrustworthy and ‘other’." she paused, eyes glazing over with a memory of something her father had said to her when she was small. "But we are only people, and we are good and bad, just like the rest of the people of the world, no matter how we or others view us. It's up to the individual to give meaning to their own name, for good or for ill. At least, that's what my father used to say."

  
  


Carter reached up and gave his new friend's hand a comforting squeeze. There was a lull in the conversation, both parties lost in their own thoughts.

  
  


"We'll both make our names mean something then, even if it's in a totally different way than our parents." said Carter eventually. His hesitance was obvious despite the comforting intentions. But Aiko could feel his meaning. He wanted to assuage her doubts about her future, even if he was still hung up on his own. The young kunoichi made an important decision about Carter then and there.

  


"Yes."

  


Aiko agreed absently but concretely, mind still slipping out of the fog of half-faded memories. Like coming out of a trance, Aiko's eyes cleared and she sat up quickly, spinning around to face her new friend. "Let's make a promise, Carter Grant, that we'll make our names stand for something we believe in."

  


Following the other teen's lead, the young man sat up and extended a hand to his friend. "You've got a deal, Aiko Uchiha."

  
  


      The kunoichi clasped his arm and the two shared a flash of understanding. This was a promise of a lifetime, one that bound the two together forever. It was a vow to follow their dreams and never to give in, or to let the other do the same. It was a covenant of hope, of determination. That one day they would overcome the mess of struggles that currently entangled them both; that which tethered them to melancholy and unhappiness and despair -the roadblocks which must be struggled against just to live life every day. And they knew that the struggle would be long, and could not just be cast off suddenly. But the two also knew that they were not and would not ever be alone in it. Dreams would be reached, however unclear they were now, and the world would be made a better place thanks to an Uchiha and a Grant. Despite the vast differences in the paths ahead and behind them, Aiko and Carter would stand in support of one another as they forged their own new paths into the future. In their minds’ eyes stood not two children sitting on a bedroom floor, but two successful adults making the covenant which brought about their personal prosperity.

  
  
  


   The spell of absolute clarity of their futures was broken by Kara knocking on the door briefly before opening it and informing them gleefully that dinner was served. The pair of teens startled, and both looked to the Super-themed clock hanging on Carter's wall. 6:45. They'd been talking for over an hour!

  
  


      The pair scrambled to their feet, Aiko the more graceful of the two, and raced toward the door. They made it to the main room practically at the same moment, Aiko smirking and Carter slightly out of breath. "No running in the house." Came Cat's response from the kitchen, not turning away even for a second from her task of removing the lasagna from the oven.

  
  


      Carter pouted and Aiko smirked, the curly-haired teen grumbling about unfair use of ninja skills as the pair took their seats at the already set table. Kara's eyes widened, but before she could quietly rebuke Aiko, their host set their meal down in the center of the table. It was awkwardly silent for a moment as the media mogul dealt out the slices of the still-piping lasagna, but as soon as she took her seat, Aiko picked up her fork, placed her hands together and uttered a quick "itadakimasu" before digging in to her meal. Kara saw her employer's eyes spark with interest at the action and braced herself for a long evening of deflection.

  
  


 

* * *

 

  
  


      Cat Grant was honestly shocked by the way her son was acting. She knew that her boy had taken to Kara immediately, what with the needlessly-bespectacled blonde being the living embodiment of sunshine mixed with a puppy, but his taking to this strange girl his age was a surprise indeed.

  
  


"You two seem to be getting along." stated Cat. The inflection bordered on pointed, but Carter picked up on the hidden question in the words and nodded in a steady and confident manner that Cat had rarely seen him embody, especially within the arena of social interaction. Seeking further information on her son’s out-of-character behavior, the CEO shifted her searching gaze to Aiko. She received the absentminded response of a shrug and the frustratingly vague

‘It has been decided.’ for her trouble.

  
  


"Oh?" questioned a dissatisfied Cat, the word coming out borderline-sharp. It didn’t matter that she was suddenly related to Supergirl. If this little bint was messing with her son-

  


"We are going to be friends forever." supplied a still-distracted Aiko as she arranged the food on her plate as to prepare a bite that would not fall from the fork on the way to her mouth.

  


Cat raised an eyebrow as her piercing gaze lasered back to her son, who had enough decency to blush slightly as he explained. "We talked about a bunch of stuff and promised that we'd help each other achieve our dreams for the future no matter what."

  


Cat stared at her son skeptically, whilst Kara looked at the pair of teenagers with stars in her eyes.

  
  


"Care to share those dreams of yours?" Cat tried her best to keep the jealousy from her tone, but really. Her normally closed-off son had shared intimate details about himself with a virtual stranger and not his own mother.

  


The teens' eyes met and silent conversation was exchanged. Eventually Carter turned his attention back to his mother and shrugged. "It's kinda private and not completely definite for the moment, but I know that Aiko will be there to help me with whatever I need."

  
  


Cat's jaw twitched, and she felt petty for being jealous of a thirteen-year-old girl, yet here she was. "Well, I'm glad you and your new little BFFL will be happy together."

  
  


Aiko cocked her head in confusion at the unfamiliar term. "BFFL?" she intoned slowly.

  
  


It was Kara who took pity on the girl. Rao knew she’d been in her position often at her age, and even to this day human customs and idioms sometimes still caught her off guard.

  
  


"It stands for Best Friend For Life." supplied the blonde superhero eagerly. Aiko's gaze suddenly darkened.

  
  


"We are not 'Best Friends For Life'." she began, and Cat looked about to strangle the girl for the way Carter tensed slightly. "That implies that the friendship will end upon death, and I am frankly insulted at the insinuation. I know that if Carter were to pass before me that I would still treasure our relationship, and I am confident that he would do the same."

  
  


A steely glint hardened into Carter's eyes and he gave his friend a heavy nod in confirmation. Cat was a little alarmed at the girl's rather morbid declaration, but was admittedly touched by the sentiment being directed at her son.

  
  


     The rest of the meal passed without incident, all present enjoying a delicious and hearty meal (one that, since the diners included a hungry Kryptonian among their numbers, had not a single bite remaining as leftovers). The guests departed the Grant residence full and content, though only after extracting a promise that Carter and Aiko could see one another again soon. Cat pointedly reminded Kara of her ex’s contact information before the guests scurried completely out the door. It closed with a resounding ‘click’, and Cat laughed mentally at herself as she wondered when the mousy little assistant she’d hired years ago would stop finding new ways to improve her life.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you say anything about them becoming friends way too fast, remind yourself of Aiko's background. As a sociology/anthropology student, I can say that the Naruto Universe basically has a 'cult of Friendship' (ie protecting your 'Bonds' with your 'Precious People'), which is particularly prevalent in Aiko's hometown. The importance of friendship, regardless of reciprocity, is basically the centerpiece the entire Plot. So seriously, if this seems fast to you, canon has had waaaaaaay wackier.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on here and my first published fic in years, as well as my first foray into these fandoms. I'm someone who likes seeing how crossovers and inserted powers/characters/events can play out when something is changed. I have the first few chapters written, as well as some set later on. Advice is welcome, and any encouragement you have will go a long way toward building my confidence. I write on my phone, so if things are wonky that's why. I hope you enjoy this. If there's a good response, I may consider putting up some of the other stories hidden away on my phone... :)
> 
> P.S. Chapter 1 is pretty Naruto-World-Centric, but bear with me. The majority of this fic takes place in the Supergirl universe and with that cast of characters.


End file.
